Iraqi Security Forces and Federal Police, enabled by the Coalition, have successfully cleared and established a ground route into the Bayji Oil Refinery. Reinforcement and resupply of the ISF within the Refinery is on-going. Ground forces, supported by Coalition airstrikes, reconnaissance, and advised and assist elements, maneuvered to clear through the area, establishing route security and reclaiming key terrain.

“In the past 72 hours, we have seen the ISF make steady, measured progress in regaining some of the areas leading to the Bayji Oil Refinery despite the significant Daesh resistance in the form of IEDs, suicide vehicle borne IEDs, as well as heavy weapon and rocket fire attacks,” said Brig. Gen Thomas Weidley, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve chief of staff. “In spite of the isolated nature of where the ISF have been operating and the constant threat from Daesh, creating a safe route to the refinery will allow supplies and reinforcements to arrive. This will assist Security Forces in clearing and securing contested areas in and around the refinery.”

The Bayji Oil Refinery has been an ongoing target for ISIL terrorists, and the area around the Refinery has been contested for several months. Since the liberation of Tikrit, ISIL has increased its attempts to force the withdrawal of the ISF at the refinery and surrounding areas.

Operations in northern Iraq continued the next day [May 22nd 2015] with the Tornados destroying an ISIL heavy weapons position in a building.

They then attacked a further weapons cache in a tunnel and in the course of this strike, a camouflaged position nearby was spotted by the aircrew, confirmed as hostile, and was also bombed.

On 20 May 2015, while taking part in coalition operations against ISIS, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS staging area north of Ar-Raqqah, Syria, using precision guided munitions.

On Wednesday 20 May, Tornados struck a weapons store with Paveways.

Dans la région de Bagdad, les forces françaises poursuivent leurs activités de formations spécifiques au profit de la 6e division irakienne et de l’ICTS (l’Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service). Parallèlement, depuis le 13 mai, dans le cadre du volet aérien de l’opération, 17 sorties aériennes ont été réalisées et 13 frappes portées contre des objectifs au sol dans les régions de Baïji, Ramadi, Mossoul et Sinjar. Ces actions ont permis la destruction de positions de combat, de bâtiments occupés par des combattants et de véhicules suicides.

May 21st 2015 – Coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq between 8 a.m., May 20, and 8 a.m., May 21, local time. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight airstrikes using attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 airstrikes approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL terrorists.

“Despite the setback in Ramadi, the Coalition continues to apply pressure on Daesh across Iraq and Syria in line with the campaign plan to defeat Daesh,” said Brig. Gen. Thomas Weidley, CJTF-OIR chief of staff. “This campaign will take time, and we remain focused on fully supporting the government of Iraq in their operations throughout the country.”

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

Syria

* Near Al Hasakah, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL trench system, destroying two ISIL fighting positions.

* Near Aleppo, one airstrike destroyed an ISIL VBIED.

* Near Ar Raqqah, one airstrike [Canadian] struck an ISIL staging area.

* Near Kobani, five airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying two ISIL fighting positons, two ISIL mortar positions and an ISIL vehicle.

Iraq

* Near Bayji, two airstrikes struck one large and one small ISIL tactical unit, destroying three ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL structure.

* Near Fallujah, one airstrike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

* Near Makhmur, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying an ISIL building and an ISIL heavy machine gun.

* Near Mosul, three airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units and an ISIL tunnel system, destroying three ISIL buildings and three ISIL heavy machine guns.

* Near Sinjar, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying two ISIL buildings and two ISIL heavy machine guns.

* Near Tal Afar, two airstrikes struck an ISIL tunnel system, destroying an ISIL VBIED.

Near Tawama, Syria, on May 20 coalition military forces conducted two airstrikes using fighter aircraft against a headquarters and training area of a network of veteran al Qaida operatives, sometimes called the “Khorasan Group,” who are plotting external attacks against the United States and our allies. The airstrikes destroyed 10 buildings in two separate compounds. There were no observed women, children or non-combatants in the compounds at the time of the strike.