On Friday 23 October, the crew of a Reaper remotely piloted aircraft identified an ISIL armoured personnel carrier, concealed under a large building. Despite the difficulty this target posed, the crew were able to position to destroy the vehicle with a Hellfire missile.

The Reaper then supported another coalition aircraft in a successful strike on a second terrorist vehicle which had been identified nearby.

En Irak, la semaine a été marquée par la poursuite des opérations visant à juguler Daech et restreindre les mouvements des combattants terroristes. Cette semaine, les FSI ont débuté la reprise de Bayji et de la raffinerie voisine – sites stratégiques tenus jusqu’ici par Daech.

Cette offensive est largement appuyée par les moyens de la coalition. Depuis plusieurs semaines, les opérations aériennes (ISR et reconnaissances armées) se concentrent sur la région de Bayji. Les frappes contre des objectifs précis ont affaibli les capacités de Daech. De plus, les soldats de l’ICTS formés par la coalition ont été engagés dans le combat. Les forces françaises participent à ce programme de formation, en particulier dans les domaines de l’instruction au combat en zones urbaines et la lutte contre les engins explosifs improvisés.

Du 15 au 21 octobre, la force Chammal a poursuivi ses opérations aériennes au-dessus des espaces contrôlés par Daech. Au total, 24 missions ont été réalisées par les équipages français – dont 6 dédiées aux vols d’acquisition de renseignement. En Irak, les avions de l’armée de l’air ont frappé 11 objectifs tenus par Daech. A Bagdad et Erbil, les militaires français restent engagés dans la formation des forces irakiennes – en particulier l’état-major de la 6e division (DAA6 de Bagdad). Cette semaine, les conseillers français ont davantage axé leur expertise dans les domaines spécifiques de la conduite des opérations, l’emploi des appuis et la logistique opérationnelle.

On Oct. 22, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted one strike using remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, fighter, and bomber aircraft against ISIL targets.

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

Syria

• Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL mortar tube.

Iraq

• Near Kisik, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

• Near Makhmur, one strike destroyed two ISIL weapons caches.

• Near Mosul, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL heavy machine guns, five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL tactical vehicle, and suppressed ISIL mortar fire.

• Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL heavy machine guns, three ISIL mobility obstacles, two ISIL improvised explosive device (IED) clusters, two ISIL mortar positions, an ISIL building, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL vehicle-borne IED, an ISIL anti-tank guided missile system, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

• Near Sinjar, three strikes destroyed 15 ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL command and control nodes.

• Near Tal Afar, two strikes struck two separate ISIL IED facilities.

• Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

Yesterday, the United States of America lost one of her finest warriors doing what American troops do best — protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of this brave Soldier,” said Lt. Gen. Sean B. MacFarland, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. “We are proud of the combined forces who conducted the mission to rescue these Iraqi hostages. Their courage, skill, and sacrifice narrowly prevented yet another brutal massacre by Daesh murderers. It is important to realize that U.S. military support to this Iraqi rescue operation is part of our overarching counter-terrorism efforts throughout the region and does not represent a change in our policy. U.S. forces are not in Iraq on a combat mission and do not have boots on the ground.

On Oct. 21, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using attack, bomber and fighter aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, fighter, ground-attack, attack, 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 Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

• Near Washiyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL excavator.

• Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL building.

• Near Dayr Az Zawr, five strikes struck two ISIL crude oil collection points, an ISIL maintenance and storage yard, an ISIL main petroleum station, and an ISIL cash distribution site.

Iraq

• Near Kirkuk, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

• Near Mosul, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

• Near Ramadi, three strikes [1 British] struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL building, an ISIL bunker, and an ISIL vehicle.

• Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

• Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL vehicle.

• Near Tal Afar, seven strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL IED facility, an ISIL VBIED facility, five ISIL vehicles, two ISIL bunkers, 31 ISIL fighting positions, and two ISIL supply caches.

On 21 October 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position west of Ramadi using precision guided munitions.

On Wednesday 21 October, two Tornado GR4s from RAF Akrotiri identified a group of armed ISIL terrorists in Ramadi and successfully engaged them with a Paveway IV guided bomb.

On Oct. 20, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using attack and fighter aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, fighter and attack aircraft against ISIL targets.

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

Syria

• Near Manbij, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL structures, two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL resupply point.

Iraq

• Near Kisik, six strikes struck an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) facility and destroyed five separate ISIL staging areas.

• Near Ramadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL command and control node, an ISIL IED, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

• Near Sinjar, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 14 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL light machine gun, and an ISIL heavy machine gun.

• Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike suppressed ISIL mortar fire.

• Near Tal Afar, one strike [Canadian] destroyed 16 ISIL fighting positions.

De Nederlandse F-16’s in het Midden-Oosten voerden meer dan 10 vluchten uit en zetten daarbij wapens in tegen vuurposities en gebouwen van ISIS-strijders.

De strijd tegen ISIS duurt nu een jaar. Commandant der Strijdkrachten generaal Tom Middendorp: “Onze inzet boekt resultaat. ISIS is op veel plekken in het defensief gedrongen.”

In Erbil en Bagdad zijn trainingen aan Peshmerga en Iraakse commando’s in volle gang.

On 20 October 2015, while taking part in coalition operations in support of Iraqi security forces, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS staging area northeast of Tal Afar using precision guided munitions.

On Oct. 19, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strike using attack and fighter aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using bomber, fighter, attack, ground-attack, 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 Ar Raqqah, one strike struck an ISIL headquarters building [see video]

• Near Tal Jibbin, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system.

Iraq

• Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL staging area, and two ISIL fighting positions.

• Near Makhmur, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL trench.

• Near Mosul, one strike suppressed an ISIL rocket position.

• Near Ramadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL buildings, an ISIL sniper position, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

• Near Sinjar, eight strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 26 ISIL fighting positions, five ISIL vehicles, 10 ISIL assembly areas, and three ISIL command and control nodes.

• Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.