Inherent Resolve – Chammal SITREP 22 Dec – CJTF-OIR

December 22, 2015 by CJTF-OIR Release # 20151222-01

Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria and Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA- On Dec. 21, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft. In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, fighter, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria

• Near Al Hasakah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL building.

• Near Al Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.

• Near Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL excavator.

• Near Mar’a, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL fighting position, damaged an ISIL fighting position, and wounded two ISIL fighters.

Iraq

• Near Fallujah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an improvised explosive device (IED) facility and wounded two ISIL fighters.

• Near Kisik, one strike suppressed ISIL rocket fire.

• Near Mosul, seven strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL building, 12 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, two ISIL vehicles, five ISIL bunkers, and destroyed seven ISIL assembly areas.

• Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed an ISIL excavator.

• Near Ramadi, six strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL command and control nodes, four ISIL weapons caches, two ISIL buildings, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), wounded two ISIL fighters, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

Strike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely.

A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location. So having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings and vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making that facility (or facilities) harder or impossible to use. Accordingly, CJTF-OIR 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.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community.

The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.