U.S. and coalition military forces continue to attack ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq, reporting 31 airstrikes on Christmas Day.
The strikes reported by the Defense Department included heavy attacks around Ramadi, where Iraqi forces are attempting to retake the last government compound held by ISIS.
The strikes against ISIS, which the Pentagon refers to by its official name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, are part of Operation Inherent Resolve. The following strikes were reported on Friday:
Strikes in Syria
Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria:
- Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
- Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL excavators.
- Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike struck an ISIL crude oil collection point.
- Near Mara, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and wounded an ISIL fighter.
- Near Manbij, five strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL vehicles and an ISIL fighting position and wounded two ISIL fighters.
Strikes in Iraq
Rocket artillery and attack, fighter and bomber aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Iraq:
- Near Baghdadi, three strikes struck an ISIL cave complex, an ISIL staging facility and an ISIL staging area and destroyed three ISIL buildings.
- Near Huwayjah, one strike destroyed an ISIL trench system.
- Near Kirkuk, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position.
- Near Makhmur, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar firing position.
- Near Mosul, seven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 13 ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL heavy machine gun, five ISIL rockets, four ISIL bunkers, an ISIL command and control node and an ISIL assembly area and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.
- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, seven houses ISIL had rigged with explosives, three ISIL staging areas, three ISIL buildings, two ISIL tunnels, an ISIL homemade explosives cache and an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb and denied ISIL access to terrain.
- Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions.
- Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
- Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL staging area.
According to the Pentagon definition, a single strike can range from one aircraft delivering a single weapon on a target to multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a large compound.
Coalition nations include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
