A B-52 Stratofortress takes off from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., April 8, en route to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Several B-52s deployed to Qatar in support of ongoing operations in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, including eliminating the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria and the wider international community.

The B-52 is a highly-capable long-range bomber that has similar capabilities to the B-1B Lancers previously based at Al Udeid. B-52s were last flown operationally during Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2006, and also supported Exercise Eager Lion – a CENTCOM-led multilateral exercise in Jordan – in May 2015.

Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
On May 13, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted five strikes using attack, fighter, ground-attack, 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 fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

Coalition strike destroys Da’esh petroleum production storage headquarters near Mosul, Iraq to disrupt illicit oil, financial, and terrorist operations.
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the Daesh terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of Daesh targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group’s ability to project terror and conduct operations.

https://youtu.be/dlFVIaNR0z4

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 and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL rocket rail.
  • Near Mar’a, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions.

Iraq

  • Near Al Baghdadi, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL command and control node.
  • Near Albu Hayat, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL weapons cache.
  • Near Ar Rutbah, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL headquarters, an ISIL vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) facility, and an ISIL staging facility.
  • Near Bayji, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bunker.
  • Near Fallujah, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
  • Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL anti-air artillery piece.
  • Near Haditha, one strike destroyed an ISIL weapons cache.
  • Near Qayyarah, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and an ISIL mortar system.
  • Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL tunnel system and an ISIL road-roller.
  • Additionally, on May 13, one strike was erroneously reported due to an administrative error. There were no strikes conducted near Waleed, Syria.

Strike assessments are based on initial reports. All aircraft returned to base safely.
A strike, as defined in the CJTF releases, means one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative effect for that location. So having a single aircraft deliver a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of buildings and vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making that facility (or facilities) harder or impossible to use. Accordingly, CJTF-OIR does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.
Ground-based artillery fired in counter-fire or in fire support to maneuver roles are not classified as a strike as defined by CJTF-OIR.
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community.
The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group’s ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations which have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.