The attack on the stronghold of the Caliphate in Iraq, which began in the early hours of October 17, led the International Coalition to intensify the number of raids in support of the advance of the Iraqi army and peshmerga Kurds. Official goal: to liberate the Iraqi city occupied in 2014.
In a report from the DoD US mention is made of all strike conducted by the Coalition without specifying the type of aircraft used, their nationality and the number of ammunition used to eliminate targets. All missions are classified CJTF extension (Combined Joint Task Force). From 17 October, the date of the invasion, 48 sorties have been carried out on Iraq during which the elimination of more than 100 targets has been recorded. Most of the missions would be concentrated in the areas of Mosul, Kisik, Sinjar Qayyarah, Rawah, Al Qaim (at the end of the article the missions in detail).
Among the nations that have carried out attacks in Iraq are reported: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
According to information released by the RAF British, the aerial activity of these days does not differ much from the daily activity carried out for two years now in the skies of Iraq and Syria. On October 17, only 4 sorties were recorded that saw employees UAV Reaper and multi-role hunting Typhoon.
L'Armée de l'Air France claims to have stepped up the number of air missions for support fire and interdiction, recording 53 sorties with 15 targets destroyed, 10 of which in the first two days alone. The air support was carried out by the Dassault Rafale deploy to Jordan and give them ATL2, while i E-3F AWACS completed 3 missions for the control and coordination of the airspace where the operations are underway.
For the American side, it was the helicopters AH-64 Apache of the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion of the 10th Aviation Regiment to support the night operations conducted by Iraqi forces, and the F / A-18 Hornet / Super Hornet board the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower which is located in the Persian Gulf and has launched more than 1000 missions from its flight deck since July.
The big numbers:
according to the latest report of DoD United States, from the beginning of operations to 11 October 2016, the USA together with the rest of the Coalition would have conducted a total of 15.634 missions against ISIS: 10.129 of which in Iraq and 5.505 in Syria. The United States claims 12.096 sorties between Iraq and Syria (6.869 Iraq / 5.227 Syria). The rest of the Coalition, on the other hand, would have conducted 3.538 strikes against ISIS of which 3.260 Iraq and 278 Syria.
In detail, the countries that took part in the most recent sorties include: Australia (1), Belgium (2), Canada (3), Denmark (4), Jordan (6), Holland (7) as regards operations on the Iraq; (1) Australia, Bahrain (2), Canada (3), Denmark (4), France (5), Jordan (6), Netherlands (7), Saudi Arabia (8), Turkey (9), United Arab Emirates ( 10), Great Britain (11).
Missions in detail
According to sources, 17 sorties on Iraq were recorded on October 9, which would have involved the destruction of the following targets:
- Near Kisik: artillery and a tunnel.
- Near Mosul: a bridge, access to tunnel networks, 4 mortar positions, an anti-aircraft gun, two vehicles, two tunnels, radio towers and antennas and repeaters.
- Near Qayyarah, two buildings occupied by ISIS militants, an armed group, two mortar positions.
- Near Rawah: a VBIED factory (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device), an armored vehicle.
- Near Tal Afar: three mortar positions, one armed group, one occupied building.
On 18 October, 7 sorties were recorded on Iraq which recorded the destruction of the following targets:
- Surroundings of Al Qaim: an armed group and a vehicle.
- Near Mosul: 7 armed groups, 10 mortars, 5 artillery pieces, four occupied buildings, 7 fighting positions (3 armed with RPG), four vehicles, a VBIED, radio repeaters.
- Near Qayyarah: 3 mortar positions, an occupied building, a tank truck, an RPG team and a damaged vehicle.
On 19 October, 6 sorties on Iraq were recorded which recorded the destruction of the following targets:
- Near Haditha: an armed group, two vehicles, two weapons depots, a piece of artillery, an occupied building.
- Near Mosul: an occupied command building.
- Near Qayyarah: an armed group, an occupied building, a vehicle.
- Near Sultan Abdallah: an armed group, an armed post.
- Near a Tal Afar: an armed group.
On 20 October, 9 sorties on Iraq were recorded which recorded the destruction of the following targets:
- Near Al Huwayjah: a weapons depot.
- Near Kisik: an armed group and a roadblock.
- Near Mosul: two armed groups, four vehicles, four occupied buildings, four fighting positions, two mortars, a bunker, a piece of artillery, a weapons depot, a heavy machine gun, a tank trailer and three mortar positions .
- Near Sinjar: two armed groups, two heavy machine guns.
- Surroundings of Sultan Abdallah: two armed groups and 3 arms depots.
On 21 October, 7 sorties on Iraq were recorded which recorded the destruction of the following targets:
- Near Mosul: 14 armed groups, a headquarters established in an occupied building, 23 defensive positions, 8 VBIEDs, 6 vehicles, 5 mortars, 3 heavy machine guns, one armored truck; suppressed the fire of 9 machine gun positions, eliminated 5 sniper positions, 4 from mortar.
- Near Rawah: an armed group.
- Near Sultan Abdallah: an armed group, a VBIED, a vehicle.
- Near Tal Afaf: an armed guappo and two checkpoints.
On October 23, 10 sorties on Iraq were recorded which recorded the destruction of the following targets:
- Near Al Qaim: an armed group and a vehicle.
- Near Kisik: a tunnel.
- Near Mosul: 5 armed groups, 16 mortars, a position equipped with RPG and a heavy machine gun, 8 vehicles, 21 defensive positions, 7 occupied buildings, 5 bunkers, 4 anti-aircraft machine guns, 4 artillery pieces, 3 tunnels, 3 VBIEDs, radio towers and various installations of various kinds.
- Near Rawah: a tunnel and a bunker
- Near Sultan Abdallah: an armed group, 7 vehicles, a roadblock and a column of 16 vehicles damaged.
(photo: US Navy)
