SOUTHWEST ASIA –
Coalition airstrikes destroyed a massive bomb making factory south of Mosul, Iraq Aug. 25, 2016. In coordination with the Government of Iraq, the 17 ship multi-national Coalition strike destroyed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factory complex.
“The Coalition will continue to pursue the destruction of Da’esh tools of terror,” said Col. John L. "JD" Dorrian, CJTF-OIR Spokesman. “These strikes degrade Da’esh’s ability to purposely kill and terrorize civilians, which they have continued to do despite their territorial losses to the Iraqi Security Forces.”
The strike was the largest Coalition combined airstrike of an IED-associated facility this year against Da'esh and is a part of the collaborative effort to set the conditions for the eventual liberation of Mosul.
The Coalition continues to systematically target the Da’esh IED network because these weapons are a key component of Da’esh tactics. IEDs of all types indiscriminately kill civilians and pose a major threat to the ISF, which makes reducing Da’esh’s capability to produce these weapons that much more important.
Coalition forces have destroyed more than 600 VBIEDs and facilities since the beginning of the air campaign.