SOUTHWEST ASIA–(ENEWSPF)–July 31, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 23 strikes consisting of 27 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
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 16 strikes consisting of 17 engagements against ISIS targets:
- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building.
- Near Raqqa, 14 strikes engaged 12 ISIS tactical units; destroyed nine fighting positions, three supply caches, two ISIS-held buildings, a vehicle, a tunnel and a command-and-control node; and suppressed a fighting position.
- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed an ISIS vehicle.
Strikes in Iraq
In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of 10 engagements against ISIS targets:
- Near Huwayjah, two strikes destroyed an ISIS oil refinement still and a front-end loader and suppressed a front-end loader.
- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.
- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIS mortar team and damaged two command-and-control nodes and two ISIS-held buildings.
- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIS vehicle.
- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed an ISIS-held building and a tactical vehicle.
- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.
July 29 Strikes
Additionally, five strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on July 29 that closed within the last 24 hours.
- Near Qaim, Iraq, a strike destroyed an ISIS headquarters.
- Near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, a strike destroyed five ISIS oil refinement stills.
- Near Kisik, Iraq, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit.
- Near Rawah, Iraq, a strike destroyed a command-and-control node.
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: http://defense.gov
