On December 24, two CF-188 Hornets fighter aircraft successfully struck an ISIL position located in the vicinity of Al Qa’im, approximately 330 km north west of Baghdad, with a precision guided munition.

Wednesday [Dec 24th] saw both Tornados and Reaper aircraft providing support to the Kurdish peshmerga, as they consolidated their recent victories over ISIL. A Tornado patrol identified an ISIL armed vehicle at a large former Iraqi military compound, and attacked it with a Brimstone missile.

Meanwhile, a Reaper provided overwatch to a US air strike that destroyed a truck which had been converted into a large suicide bomb vehicle, then fired a Hellfire missile at a pick-up truck being used by ISIL to build a road-block of burning tyres.

December 23rd 2014 – U.S. and partner nation military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria Dec. 23 using fighter and bomber aircraft to conduct seven airstrikes. Separately, U.S. and partner nation military forces conducted three airstrikes in Iraq Dec. 23 using fighter, bomber, and attack aircraft against the ISIL terrorists. The following is a summary of those strikes:

Syria

* Near Kobani, six airstrikes destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL building and struck several ISIL fighting positions.

* Near Barghooth, an airstrike struck ISIL oil collection equipment.

Iraq

* Near Sinjar, two airstrikes [1 British] destroyed an ISIL vehicle and struck a mortar and an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Al Asad, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

On 23 December, Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s, operating out of RAF Akrotiri, conducted an armed reconnaissance mission near Al Qaim, close to the border between Syria and Iraq. 4 ISIL armed pick-up trucks were identified, widely dispersed, near a quarry. They were successfully engaged using a combination of Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV guided bombs.

December 22nd 2014 – U.S. and partner nation military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria Dec. 22 using fighter and bomber aircraft to conduct twelve airstrikes. Separately, U.S. and partner nation military forces conducted ten airstrikes in Iraq Dec. 22 using fighter, bomber, and attack aircraft against the ISIL terrorists. These engagements were in support of the 7th Iraqi Army, local police and tribal fighters engaged in fighting with ISIL forces in the vicinity of Dulab. The following is a summary of those strikes:

Syria

* Near Kobani, six airstrikes destroyed six ISIL fighting positions and struck four ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Aleppo, three airstrikes destroyed artillery equipment and struck ten ISIL buildings.

* Near Al Hasakah, two airstrikes destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle, two ISIL trucks, an ISIL building, and two ISIL storage containers.

* Near Ar Raqqah, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL checkpoint complex.

Iraq

* Near Sinjar, three airstrikes destroyed three ISIL tactical vehicles, three ISIL trucks, five ISIL buildings and struck two large ISIL units and an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Al Asad, two airstrikes destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and struck two ISIL tactical units.

* Near Tal Afar, two airstrikes destroyed an ISIL checkpoint.

* Near Ramadi, an airstrike destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL building and struck an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Mosul, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

* Near Fallujah, an airstrike destroyed two ISIL buildings and struck a weapons factory complex [Canada].

On 21 December [Dec 22nd, according to the US], two CF-188 Hornets successfully struck an ISIL weapons facility in Fallujah with precision-guided munitions. These buildings function as production and storage facilities for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices – weapons commonly used by ISIL against Iraqi security forces.

December 21st 2014 – US and partner nation military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria Dec. 21 using fighter and bomber aircraft to conduct three airstrikes. Separately, U.S. and partner nation military forces conducted thirteen airstrikes in Iraq Dec. 21 using fighter, bomber, and attack aircraft against the ISIL terrorists. The following is a summary of those strikes:

Syria

* Near Kobani, three airstrikes destroyed an ISIL staging position and two ISIL fighting positions and struck two ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq

* Near Sinjar, four airstrikes destroyed an ISIL building, an ISIL mortar position and three ISIL tactical vehicles and struck a large ISIL unit and two ISIL tactical units.

* Near Bayji, two airstrikes destroyed three ISIL buildings and struck a large and a tactical ISIL unit.

* Near Tal Afar, two airstrikes destroyed two ISIL VBIED.

* Near Ramadi, two airstrikes destroyed three ISIL vehicles and struck a large ISIL unit and a tactical ISIL unit.

* Near Mosul, an airstrike destroyed three ISIL bunkers and struck three ISIL bunkers.

* Near Al Qaim, an airstrike struck an ISIL building.

* Near al Asad, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical vehicle.

De Nederlandse F-16’s die meedoen aan de strijd tegen ISIS vlogen tussen de 10 en 20 missies boven Irak. Ze zetten daarbij geregeld wapens in tegen doelen van de terroristische organisatie. Een overzicht van Defensie-operaties in de week van 15 tot en met 21 december.

Nederland stelt 8 F-16’s beschikbaar voor aanvallen op ISIS op Iraaks grondgebied. Daarmee draagt de Koninklijke Luchtmacht bij aan de internationale strijd tegen ISIS. Nederlandse jachtvliegtuigen zijn de afgelopen dagen voortdurend ingezet voor de strijd tegen de terreurorganisatie om de bevolking op Mount Sinjar een vrije doorgang te geven. Koerdische Peshmerga brachten strijders van ISIS met steun van de coalitie hier de afgelopen dagen een nederlaag toe.

De 250 Nederlandse militairen kregen bezoek van Commandant Luchtstrijdkrachten luitenant-generaal Sander Schnitger. “Vanuit het Midden-Oosten, 24 uur per dag, 7 dagen per week, zorgt u ervoor dat de opmars van ISIS een halt wordt toegeroepen. Die opmars vormt een directe bedreiging voor de regio en veroorzaakt instabiliteit aan de grenzen van Europa”, zei hij aan het begin van zijn kerstbezoek.

Vanuit Nederland vertrokken de eerste militairen naar Irak om de komst van de trainers voor te bereiden. Dat gebeurde op locaties in Erbil en Bagdad.