Tuesday 29 March – Tornados and Typhoons hit multiple targets in western and northern Iraq, including five truck-bomb facilities and a tunnel complex…Operations over both northern and western Iraq continued on Tuesday 29 March. One Typhoon flight struck a reported Daesh storage building north-east of Mosul, while a second flight assisted Kurdish forces by bombing a mortar position near Quyyarah, then conducted attacks on terrorist installations nearby; one Typhoon was able to strike simultaneously four tunnel entrances, each with a Paveway, the second aircraft striking three truck-bomb facilities, again each with a Paveway. In Anbar province, two further truck-bomb workshops near Hit were successfully attacked by Tornados the same day.

Chammal – 11 frappes contre Daech en Irak cette semaine, 12 objectifs détruits

Du 23 au 29 mars 2016, la force Chammal a poursuivi ses opérations aériennes contre Daech en réalisant 36 sorties au-dessus de l’Irak et de la Syrie, dont 32 de bombardement et 4 de recueil de renseignement. Au total 11 frappes ont détruit 12 objectifs de Daech, la force Chammal ayant cette semaine concentré son effort dans des missions d’appui au profit des forces irakiennes engagées au sol, en particulier dans le Nord du pays.

11 frappes d’appui au sol ont été réalisées en Irak au cours de la semaine

La force Chammal a réalisé des missions d’appui au sol concentrées dans les environs de Mossoul et le long de l’Euphrate en appui de la progression des forces de sécurité intérieures.

On March 28, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted four strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack aircraft against ISIL targets. The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Iraq

* Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL bed down location and an ISIL safe house.

* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed two ISIL assembly areas and suppressed an ISIL machine gun position.

* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike destroyed three ISIL assembly areas.

Monday 28 March – Typhoons struck three terrorist-held buildings in northern Iraq…The Typhoons were again in action south of Sinjar on Monday 28 March, when they bombed two terrorist-held buildings, before flying to the area around Tall Afar where they struck a third Daesh position.

Het F-16-detachement vloog afgelopen week dagelijks missies boven Irak en Oost-Syrië ter ondersteuning van Operation Inherent Resolve. Een overzicht van Defensieoperaties in de week van 22 tot 28 maart 2016.

Midden-Oosten

Tijdens de Close Air Support-missies ondersteunden de F-16’s Iraakse en Peshmerga-grondtroepen. De Nederlandse F-16’s schakelden daarbij onder meer mortier- en artillerieopstellingen, gevechtslocaties en ISIS-strijders uit. Daardoor konden de grondtroepen verder met hun opmars tegen de terreurorganisatie. Tijdens enkele Air Interdiction-missies zetten de F-16’s met andere coalitiepartners hun precisiewapens in tegen onder meer hoofdkwartieren, munitieopslaglocaties en verzamelplaatsen van ISIS. Gevolg was dat de slagkracht van de vijand afnam. Tijdens het Paasweekeinde gingen de operaties zowel overdag als ’s nachts onverminderd door.

On March 27, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria

* Near Mar’a, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions.

* Near Manbij, one strike destroyed two ISIL bed down locations and two ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq

* Near Mosul, four strikes struck an ISIL security headquarters and an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and suppressed an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Qayyarah, three strikes [1 British] struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL mortar positions, an ISIL machine gun, and an ISIL supply cache and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Sinjar, one strike [1 British] struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position.

* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL assembly area.

Sunday 27 March – Typhoons provided close air support to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, eliminating sniper and heavy machine-gun teams…RAF aircraft continued to provide close air support to the Kurdish forces on Sunday 27 March. Paveways from a Typhoon flight silenced both a sniper and a heavy machine-gun team who were engaged in combat with Kurdish troops near Qayyarah, and a further Paveway accounted for a second heavy machine-gun team that opened fire on the peshmerga south of Sinjar.

On March 26, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strikes using attack and ground-attack aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 19 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack, fighter, 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 Manbij, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed six ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq

* Near Al Baghdadi, three strikes struck an ISIL staging facility.

* Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Mosul, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position, an ISIL anti-air artillery piece and two ISIL fighting positions and suppressed an ISIL mortar position and two ISIL tactical units.

* Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL security headquarters and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Sinjar, two strikes suppressed an ISIL rocket firing position and an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Sultan Abdallah, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL assembly areas and suppressed two ISIL mortar positions, an ISIL surface to air firing position, and an ISIL tactical unit.

On March 25, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using attack aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 22 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and ground-attack, attack, fighter, 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 Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

* Near Mar’a, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL artillery piece and three ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq

* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units.

* Near Hit, five strikes struck an ISIL improvised weapons factory, an ISIL communications facility, an ISIL weapons storage facility and two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL fighting position.

* Near Kisik, two strikes destroyed an ISIL artillery piece and suppressed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Mosul, four strikes [1 British] struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL supply caches and three ISIL assembly areas and suppressed two ISIL mortar positions.

* Near Qayyarah, six strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL mortar positions, an ISIL artillery piece, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL vehicle, and five ISIL assembly areas and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position and an ISIL assembly area.

* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.

Friday 25 March – Typhoons attacked five terrorist positions near Mosul…Typhoons caught extremists mustering near Mosul on Friday 25 March, and struck five positions with Paveway IVs.

On March 24, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strikes using attack aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria

* Near Al Hawl, one strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

* Near Mar’a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq

* Near Habbaniyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL tunnel entrances.

* Near Haditha, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL staging areas.

* Near Hit, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL rocket rail.

* Near Mosul, one strike destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.

* Near Qayyarah, two strikes [1 British] struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL mortar positions, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL fighting position, and denied ISIL access to terrain.

* Near Sultan Abdallah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and two ISIL assembly areas and denied ISIL access to terrain.

* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

* Near Waleed, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

Thursday 24 March – Tornados destroyed a mortar team that was firing on Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, while a Reaper destroyed a vehicle in eastern Syria…The following day [Thursday 24 March], Tornados were again active over Qayyarah; working in close cooperation with a coalition surveillance aircraft, they were able to successfully engage with a Paveway a Daesh mortar team that had opened fire on Kurdish forces. Across the border in eastern Syria, a Reaper used a Hellfire missile in a successful attack on a Daesh vehicle.

LEVANT : CHAMMAL

Au Levant, les opérations coordonnées des forces locales et de la coalition ont entrainé un recul de Daech sur tous les fronts—à la fois en Irak et en Syrie. Daech est sous la pression des forces irakiennes qu’il cherche à ralentir par des actions de harcèlement.

En Irak : confrontée aux actions de la coalition, l’organisation terroriste adopte une posture défensive, en particulier dans la région de Mossoul.

Plus au Sud, elle tente des attaques contre des sites pétroliers dans la région de Baiji, attaques repoussées par les forces irakiennes.

Dans la vallée de l’Euphrate, Daech recule devant la progression des forces irakiennes entre Hit et Falloujah.

En Syrie : depuis plusieurs semaines, les terroristes perdent du terrain sur les différents fronts. La coalition OIR rapporte ainsi que les forces locales ont libéré Tishreen, Kobane et Tal Abyad. Dans le Nord Est du pays, elles continuent de progresser dans la province d’Hasakah où elles ont repris la ville de Shaddadi et avancent vers la ville de Raqqah.

Efforts de la coalition en Irak

Dans l’Anbar, entre Hit et Haditah, la coalition appuie la progression des forces irakiennes en réduisant les capacités des combattants terroristes. Son action vise également à appuyer les forces au sol pour conserver les territoires libérés et les villes reconquises (comme Ramadi).

Sur le front Nord, la coalition tient Daech sous pression avec un double objectif : affaiblir le système défensif autour de Mossoul et couper les lignes de ravitaillement des terroristes.

Certains chiffres (sources OIR) permettent d’illustrer les effets produits sur le terrain par les opérations de la coalition : près de 7 000 positions de tir, 6 000 bâtiments, 500 véhicules et 1 300 sites de production de pétrole ont été détruits en Irak et en Syrie depuis 2014. Au total, 22 779 objectifs de Daech détruits.

Chammal : destruction de deux centres de commandement terroristes en Irak

L’action de la France s’inscrit dans l’effort de la coalition à travers l’engagement des chasseurs de l’armée de l’air dans les missions de bombardement et de recueil de renseignements, mais aussi à travers la poursuite du programme de formation des forces irakiennes.

Depuis le 16 mars 2016, la force Chammal a réalisé 73 sorties aériennes au-dessus de l’Irak et de la Syrie, dont 65 de bombardement et 8 de recueil de renseignements. Au total, 15 frappes ont permis de détruire 19 objectifs de Daech. La semaine a été marquée par 2 opérations planifiées de bombardement conduites en coalition. Elles ont abouti à la destruction de 2 centres de commandement en Irak, à Hit et Mossoul. Ces frappes affaiblissent les capacités militaires des terroristes. En parallèle les chasseurs français poursuivent leur mission d’appui des forces irakiennes. Ils ont été particulièrement engagés le 21 mars, dans la région de Hit, en menant en quelques heures 5 frappes en appui des troupes engagées au sol.

On March 23, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 26 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, fighter, 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 Hawl, two strikes destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL vehicle.

* Near Manbij, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed three ISIL fighting positions.

* Near Palmyra, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq

* Near Hit, three strikes struck an ISIL weapons storage facility and an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL rocket rail and five ISIL bunkers.

* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL command and control node, and an ISIL weapons cache.

* Near Kisik, one strike [1 British] destroyed an ISIL tunnel.

* Near Mosul, eight strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), and six ISIL assembly areas and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck an ISIL communication facility and destroyed an ISIL used bridge section and denied ISIL access to terrain.

* Near Ramadi, one strike denied ISIL access to terrain.

* Near Sinjar, five strikes [1 British] struck five ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and four ISIL assembly areas.

* Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and denied ISIL access to terrain.

* Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL assembly area and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

Wednesday 23 March – Typhoons attacked Daesh positions in northern Iraq, including a tunnel and a mortar team…On Wednesday 23 March, Typhoon FGR4s patrolled over northern Iraq. They used Paveways to destroy a Daesh position south of Sinjar, and a tunnel entrance, two terrorist-held buildings and a mortar team all located near Kisik.

On March 22, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes using ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, fighter, 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 Manbij, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Mar’a, six strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL improvised explosive device (IED) cache, an ISIL tunnel, and four ISIL vehicles.

* Near Ar Raqqah, one strike [1 British] struck an ISIL weapons storage facility.

Iraq

* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL front end loader, an ISIL machine gun position, and an ISIL bed down location.

* Near Haditha, one strike [1 British] struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL staging areas.

* Near Kirkuk, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL supply cache.

* Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and three ISIL assembly areas.

* Near Mosul, three strikes [1 French] struck an ISIL headquarters, an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL vehicle.

* Near Qayyarah, two strikes [1 British] destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL used bridge section.

* Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and an ISIL front end loader.

* Near Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position and an ISIL fighting position.

* Near Hit, two strikes destroyed an ISIL staging area and an ISIL supply cache.

Tuesday 22 March – Tornados struck a terrorist staging area in western Iraq, and frustrated continued attempts by Daesh to repair a vital bridge over the Tigris in the north, while in Syria a Reaper destroyed a terrorist-held building…Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s conducted strike operations over both western and northern Iraq on Tuesday 22 March. In Anbar province, a Tornado flight was able to destroy with Paveway IV guided bombs a staging post used by Daesh extremists. Further north, near Qayyarah, coalition surveillance aircraft identified renewed attempts by Daesh to build an improvised ramp up to a damaged bridge at a key crossing over the Tigris, just south of Qayyarah; RAF aircraft had destroyed the heavy engineering vehicles and a previous attempt at a ramp on 17 March. Two Tornados therefore returned to the bridge and again destroyed the ramp with Paveways, preventing the terrorists from reopening their supply route across the river. In eastern Syria, a Reaper used a Hellfire missile to demolish a Daesh storage building near Ukayrishah; the attack was very carefully planned in both timing and weapon choice to avoid causing any damage to a nearby school.

Chammal – 15 frappes contre Daech en Irak cette semaine, 19 objectifs détruits

État-major des armées | 22 mars 2016

Du 16 au 22 mars 2016, la force Chammal a poursuivi son action offensive contre Daech en réalisant 73 sorties aériennes au-dessus de l’Irak et de la Syrie, dont 65 de bombardement et 8 de recueil de renseignement. Au total 15 frappes ont permis de détruire 19 objectifs de Daech. En détruisant cette semaine deux centres de commandement, la force Chammal a poursuivi son effort visant à affaiblir les capacités de combat de l’organisation terroriste. En parallèle, elle a continué à appuyer les forces irakiennes engagées au sol dans la reconquête de leur territoire. Cette action en appui des troupes au sol (Close Air Support ou CAS) a été particulièrement marquée le 21 mars dans la région de Hit, dans la vallée de l’Euphrate, où les chasseurs français ont frappé à 5 reprises. 13 frappes d’appui au sol ont été réalisées en Irak au cours de la semaine La force Chammal a réalisé des missions d’appui au sol concentrées dans la région de Mossoul et dans la province d’Anbar en appui de la progression des forces de sécurité irakiennes. 2 frappes planifiées ont été menées en Irak Le 17 mars une patrouille de 5 Mirage 2000D et de 2 Rafale a réalisé une frappe dans la région de Hit permettant la destruction d’un centre de commandement. En savoir + Le 22 mars une patrouille de 2 Mirage 2000D a réalisé une frappe dans la région de Mossoul. Cette mission a permis de détruire un centre de commandement.

On March 21, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strikes using attack and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and fighter 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 [1 British] struck an ISIL weapons storage facility.

* Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq

* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck two ISIL staging facilities.

* Near Habbaniyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Hit, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).

* Near Kisik, three strikes [2 British] struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL tunnel and suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed ISIL engineering equipment and damaged an ISIL used bridge section.

* Near Sinjar, one strike suppressed an ISIL rocket position.

Monday 21 March – Typhoons attacked four groups of terrorists in northern Iraq, including three teams planting IEDs, whilst Tornados conducted a large attack on a major weapons storage facility in Syria…Two flights of Typhoons provided close air support to the Kurdish forces on Monday 21 March; one flight destroyed a Daesh group that was firing rockets at the Kurds, whilst the other flight successfully attacked three terrorist teams which were planting improvised explosive devices in the Kisik area. Across the border in Syria, careful reconnaissance work had identified a major Daesh weapons storage facility at a site near Ukayrishah, south-east of Raqqa. This intelligence success allowed Tornado GR4s to conduct a very successful strike on Monday night, delivering eight Paveway IVs which destroyed the main warehouse and three support buildings.

Chammal – 15 frappes contre Daech en Irak cette semaine, 19 objectifs détruits

État-major des armées | 22 mars 2016

Du 16 au 22 mars 2016, la force Chammal a poursuivi son action offensive contre Daech en réalisant 73 sorties aériennes au-dessus de l’Irak et de la Syrie, dont 65 de bombardement et 8 de recueil de renseignement. Au total 15 frappes ont permis de détruire 19 objectifs de Daech. En détruisant cette semaine deux centres de commandement, la force Chammal a poursuivi son effort visant à affaiblir les capacités de combat de l’organisation terroriste. En parallèle, elle a continué à appuyer les forces irakiennes engagées au sol dans la reconquête de leur territoire. Cette action en appui des troupes au sol (Close Air Support ou CAS) a été particulièrement marquée le 21 mars dans la région de Hit, dans la vallée de l’Euphrate, où les chasseurs français ont frappé à 5 reprises. 13 frappes d’appui au sol ont été réalisées en Irak au cours de la semaine La force Chammal a réalisé des missions d’appui au sol concentrées dans la région de Mossoul et dans la province d’Anbar en appui de la progression des forces de sécurité irakiennes. 2 frappes planifiées ont été menées en Irak Le 17 mars une patrouille de 5 Mirage 2000D et de 2 Rafale a réalisé une frappe dans la région de Hit permettant la destruction d’un centre de commandement. En savoir + Le 22 mars une patrouille de 2 Mirage 2000D a réalisé une frappe dans la région de Mossoul. Cette mission a permis de détruire un centre de commandement.

Nederlandse F-16’s vlogen ongeveer 10 missies boven Irak en Oost-Syrië. Tijdens 2 aanvalsmissies leidden Nederlandse vliegers een grote internationale groep van coalitievliegtuigen. Nederlandse F-16’s zetten wapens in tegen vuurposities, wapenopslagplaatsen en andere doelen van terreurorganisatie ISIS.

On March 20, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted four strikes using attack aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using fighter 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 Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Kobani, one strike destroyed an ISIL excavator.

* Near Manbij, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position and an ISIL fighting position.

* Near Mar’a, one strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Iraq

* Near Hit, one strike produced inconclusive results.

* Near Kisik, one strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

* Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and two ISIL fighting postions.

* Near Ramadi, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

* Near Sinjar, one strike [1 British] destroyed three ISIL supply caches.

Sunday 20 March – Tornados destroyed three weapons caches in north-western Iraq…Tornado GR4s were in action again over northern Iraq on Sunday 20 March, when they used Paveways to destroy three weapons caches and supply points several miles south-west of Sinjar.

On March 19, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Iraq

* Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle and suppressed two ISIL tactical units.

* Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL bunker.

* Near Hit, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL tactical vehicles, an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), two ISIL rocket rails, and an ISIL vehicle.

* Near Kisik, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL supply cache, and three ISIL rocket rails and suppressed an ISIL sniper position.

* Near Mosul, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL headquarters and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed two ISIL supply caches and an ISIL headquarters.

* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed an ISIL supply cache and suppressed an ISIL rocket position.

On March 18, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted one strike using fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 25 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and ground-attack, bomber, and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria

* Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL rocket position and an ISIL mortar position.

Iraq

* Near Al Baghdadi, four strikes struck two ISIL bed down locations and two ISIL staging areas.

* Near Al Huwayja, one strike destroyed an ISIL anti-air artillery piece.

* Near Fallujah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units.

* Near Hit, seven strikes struck an ISIL training camp, two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factories, an ISIL improvised explosive device (IED) factory and two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tunnel, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL VBIED.

* Near Kisik, two strikes [1 British] struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bunker and two ISIL assembly areas.

* Near Mosul, six strikes [1 British] struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL supply cache, and three ISIL vehicles and damaged an ISIL-used bridge section and suppressed an ISIL fighting position.

* Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position and an ISIL vehicle.

* Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and suppressed an ISIL fighting position.

Additionally, on the March 18 release, two strikes were duplicated in AL Hawl and Mar’a, Syria due to administrative error. The following is a summary of the correct strikes in both Al Hawl and Mar’a from the March 18 release:

Syria

* Near Al Hawl, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, and damaged an ISIL fighting position.

* Near Mar’a, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions, and damaged an ISIL fighting position.

Friday 18 March – Tornados and Typhoons struck three groups of terrorists as they gathered for possible attacks in northern Iraq…On Friday 18 March, Paveway-armed Typhoons struck a group of extremists mustering east of Mosul, while Tornados similarly hit two Daesh groups gathered for possible attacks near Kisik.

On March 17, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes using ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets. Additionally in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes coordinated with and in support of the Government of Iraq using rocket artillery and fighter aircraft against ISIL targets. The following is a summary of the strikes conducted against ISIL since the last press release:

Syria

* Near Al Hawl, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, damaged an ISIL fighting position and suppressed a second fighting position.
* Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
* Near Mar’a, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions and damaged an ISIL fighting position.

*also see 18-19th March report for amended number of Syria strikes

Iraq

* Near Albu Hayat, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
* Near Habbaniyah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
* Near Hit, two strikes [1 French] struck an ISIL headquarters and a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL tunnel and an ISIL rocket position.
* Near Kisik, three strikes [1 British] destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL command and control node.
* Near Qayyarah, two strikes [2 British] destroyed an ISIL rocket rail, an ISIL used bridge section, and three ISIL vehicles.
* Sultan Abdallah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine gun positions.
* Near Fallujah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

Thursday 17 March – Tornados and Typhoons conducted multiple attacks on Daesh positions in northern and western Iraq, including attempts by the terrorists to repair a key bridge on a supply route…Thursday 17 March saw Tornados and Typhoons operating over both northern and western Iraq. Typhoons used a Paveway bomb to demolish a building from which a terrorist sniper had opened fire on Iraqi forces near Tall Afar, while a Tornado mission over Anbar worked in cooperation with a coalition remotely piloted aircraft to assist Iraqi troops engaged in combat with Daesh extremists to the north-west of Ramadi. Despite heavy cloud obscuring the target, the RAF and coalition aircraft used their highly sophisticated surveillance and targeting equipment to allow the Tornados to deliver two precision attacks with Brimstone missiles on the terrorists, then, once they attempted to retreat, to strike the remainder of the Daesh group with a Paveway.

Meanwhile, another Tornado flight Near Kisik used a Paveway to destroy a Daesh command and control position, where a number of terrorists had gathered. The Tornados then interrupted Daesh’s efforts to reopen supply routes near Qayyarah, destroying targets with two direct hits from Paveways and then another Paveway and Brimstone missiles were used to destroy three engineering vehicles.

Les armées françaises assurent simultanément la défense du territoire national et la défense de l’avant, à l’extérieur de nos frontières. Ce dispositif mobilise près 13 000 militaires sur le territoire national et environ 7 500 en opérations extérieures (principalement dans la lutte contre le terrorisme au Sahel et au Levant), ainsi que 11 000 au sein des forces prépositionnées.

Proche et Moyen-Orient : Chammal

Au Levant, la situation est marquée par un recul de Daech – en Irak comme en Syrie. Les offensives tentées depuis plusieurs semaines par l’organisation terroriste se sont soldées par des échecs. Daech est contraint d’adopter une posture défensive et tente d’ouvrir de nouveaux fronts par des actions de harcèlement contre les forces locales et des attaques terroristes à fort retentissement médiatique contre les civils.

Situation de Daech en Irak

Dans le Nord, Daech concentre ses efforts autour de Mossoul avec une bascule vraisemblable des forces dans ce secteur. Daech porte ses efforts sur la région de Tal Afar pour tenter de conserver un lien avec la Syrie – notamment depuis la perte de la route transfrontalière entre Ash Shadadi et Sinjar. Cet axe sous le contrôle des forces locales lui était essentiel pour conserver une liberté d’action entre ses deux fiefs de Mossoul et Raqqah.

Les terroristes contrôlent toujours la zone Mossoul / Qayyarah / Hawija.

Au centre, l’axe Baiji / Tikrit / Samarra reste sous le contrôle des forces irakiennes malgré le harcèlement pratiqué par Daech. La suprématie de Daech sur l’axe Baiji / Haditha est aujourd’hui contestée

Dans la vallée de l’Euphrate, depuis la prise de Ramadi par les forces irakiennes, Daech est contenu sur les rives nord du fleuve. Les troupes irakiennes progressent désormais vers Falloujah. Daech est donc sur une position défensive avec un effort pour conserver un axe logistique entre Hit et Falloujah.

Situation de Daech en Syrie

Le constat est quasiment identique, avec un net mouvement de recul de Daech.

Au Nord Est, les forces locales progressent rapidement vers le Sud. Elles se sont emparées d’Ash Shadadi et l’axe Sinjar est quasiment fermé pour Daech.

Actions de la coalition: 700 frappes en appui des forces irakiennes lors des opérations de reprise de Ramadi

En Irak, l’effort de la coalition est porté sur la vallée de l’Euphrate et dans le secteur de Mossoul – principales zones des frappes en appui des troupes locales combattant au sol. Les bombardements planifiés visent à affaiblir Daech en ciblant les centres de commandement et les capacités logistiques. En six mois, la coalition a réalisé près de 700 frappes en appui des forces irakiennes lors des opérations de reprise de Ramadi.

Actions de l’opération Chammal

Actuellement, l’opération compte 1 000 militaires déployés sur les bases aériennes en Jordanie, dans le Golfe arabo-persique (GAP), mais aussi à Bagdad, en Méditerranée Orientale (MEDOR) et dans les états-majors de la coalition.

Actions de formation et de conseil

Déployée à Bagdad, la composante formation et conseil (près de 100 instructeurs français) a achevé ses opérations de relève au début du mois de mars 2016. Les missions de la 3ebrigade légère blindée et de la 13edemi-brigade de Légion étrangère ont été reprises par la 11ebrigade parachutiste. Depuis le mois de mars 2015, les forces françaises ont formé 3 700 des 18 600 militaires irakiens formés par la coalition.

Actuellement, elles conduisent 5 actions de formation au sein de l’Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS). Au programme pour les 500 stagiaires irakiens : sauvetage au combat, lutte contre les engins explosifs, combat en zone urbaine et ouverte, instruction au tir de combat, formation des futurs instructeurs. Ces compétences sont indispensables aux forces irakiennes pour poursuivre le combat.

Opérations aériennes : 78 objectifs terroristes frappés en 1 mois

Depuis le 9 mars 2016, les équipages ont réalisé 46 sorties et conduit 8 frappes ayant entrainé la destruction de 13 objectifs terroristes.

Sur ces 46 sorties, 6 ont été dédiées aux vols de renseignement et 40 aux bombardements.

Concernant ces dernières, 2 ont fait l’objet d’attaques planifiées, l’une en Irak et l’autre en Syrie :

• Le 11 mars, une patrouille de 2 Mirage a réalisé une frappe dans la région de Der Eiz Zor où une installation pétrolière utilisée par Daech a été détruite.
• Le 14 mars, une patrouille de 2 Mirage a réalisé une frappe dans la région de Mossoul détruisant un camp d’entrainement de combattants terroristes.

Au bilan depuis le 17 février et jusqu’au 15 mars 2016, la force Chammal a réalisé 36 frappes et détruit 78 objectifs terroristes, notamment dans les régions de Mossoul et de Ramadi.

GAN : fin du déploiement opérationnel

Du 18 novembre 2015 au 16 mars 2016, le GAN a opéré à la fois depuis la Méditerranée orientale (MEDOR) et le Golfe arabo-persique (GAP) avec une activité opérationnelle marquée par sa participation aux campagnes aériennes contre Daech et la prise de commandement par le contre-amiral Crignola de la « composante porte-avions » de la coalition.

100 frappes contre Daech

Les équipages ont effectué près de 530 sorties aériennes – parfois jusqu’à 18 par jour lors des phases d’intensification de la coalition.

Ils ont en particulièrement été engagé dans les raids frappant les terroristes à Ramadi et Mossoul. Avec près de 100 frappes réalisées au cours de sa mission, le GAN a ainsi contribué, aux côtés des chasseurs de l’armée de l’air, à toucher Daech dans la profondeur de son dispositif, endommageant sa logistique et donc sa capacité à soutenir un combat de haute intensité. Plus d’une trentaine de missions ISR ont par ailleurs été réalisées, dont les dossiers de renseignement sont actuellement exploités par la coalition.

Derniers catapultages des SEM en opération

Le mercredi 16 mars 2016, les Super Etendard Modernisés (SEM) ont été catapultés une dernière fois depuis le porte-avions en Méditerranée — marquant ainsi la fin d’un engagement opérationnel de plus de 40 ans. Dans le cadre de l’opération Chammal, les équipages auront effectué 800 heures de vol et frappé 32 objectifs terroristes en Irak et en Syrie.