U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, July 13, 2017 – U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 24 strikes consisting of 62 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 19 strikes consisting of 24 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed two ISIS oil tanks and an oil refinery building.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, six strikes destroyed 16 ISIS oil stills, 10 oil barrels, six oil trucks and two wellheads.

-- Near Raqqa, 12 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, a command-and-control node, an anti-air artillery system, a vehicle bomb and a tunnel.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted five strikes consisting of 38 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Beiji, a strike destroyed two tactical vehicles and a vehicle.

-- Near Hit, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, a strike engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 19 fighting positions, four medium machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade system; and damaged five fighting positions.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed two ISIS bunker systems.

-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

July 11 Strikes

Additionally, 15 strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on July 11 that closed within the last 24 hours:

-- Near Raqqa, Syria, 12 strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed five improvised bombs, three fighting positions, two vehicle bombs, three ISIS communications towers, two command-and control-nodes, an anti-air artillery system and a communications repeater.

-- Near Shadaddi, Syria, two strikes destroyed two ISIS command-and-control nodes.

-- Near Mosul, Iraq, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four medium machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade system.

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.