Strikes Continue Against ISIS Targets in Iraq, Syria

Strikes Continue Against ISIS Targets in Iraq, Syria
June 6, 2017 in Security
U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on Sunday, conducting 23 strikes consisting of 70 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported yesterday.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 20 strikes consisting of 38 engagements against ISIS targets:

Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed an ISIS wellhead and an ISIS oil manifold.
Near Dayr Az Zawr, six strikes destroyed 90 ISIS oil barrels, 10 ISIS oil refinery stills, five vehicles, four ISIS oil separation tanks and three ISIS wellheads.
Near Raqqa, 11 strikes engaged nine ISIS tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions and five vehicles.
Near Tanf, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two tactical vehicles and two ISIS vehicles.
Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of 32 engagements against ISIS targets:

Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 15 fighting positions, two rocket-propelled-grenade systems, two medium machine guns, an ISIS tactical vehicle and an ISIS staging area; damaged six fighting positions and a vehicle-borne bomb; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.
June 3 Strikes

Additionally, five strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on June 3 that closed within the last 24 hours:

Near Raqqa, Syria, three strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units, destroyed 10 fighting positions and damaged an ISIS-held building.
Near Mosul, Iraq, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 14 fighting positions, a vehicle-borne bomb, a vehicle-borne-bomb staging area and a supply route; and suppressed a fighting position.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group’s ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

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