Two Years of U.S.-led Airstrikes on ISIS in Syria and Iraq in Numbers

About half the territory has been recovered, according to the State Department.

ByABC News
August 8, 2016, 11:58 AM
This undated photo posted on a militant website on Jan. 14, 2014, shows fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) marching in Raqqa, Syria.
This undated photo posted on a militant website on Jan. 14, 2014, shows fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) marching in Raqqa, Syria.
Militant Website/AP Photo

— -- Today marks the two-year anniversary of the first U.S. airstrikes against ISIS militants.

ISIS had captured the town of Sinjar in northern Iraq, after overrunning the cities of Mosul, Kirkuk, Baiji, and Tikrit to name a few. Tens of thousands of Yazidis who had fled the ISIS siege were trapped on Mount Sinjar, with nowhere to go.

Those first U.S. strikes were limited -- hitting only some ISIS units and convoys -- but they marked the launch of a broader U.S.-led campaign to eradicate ISIS from Iraq and Syria.

On this anniversary, ABC News looks at the airstrikes in the “War Against ISIS” by the numbers, based on updates from the Department of Defense and the Department of State.

Strikes by the U.S. and coalition partners

As of July 27, 2016, the U.S. and coalition partners have conducted more than 14,000 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Nearly 11,000 of those strikes were from U.S. aircraft. The majority of the strikes -- more than 9,000 -- were in Iraq.

Targets damaged or destroyed

Of the 26,374 targets hit, nearly 8,000 were against ISIS fighting positions, while approximately 6,500 hit buildings. ISIS staging areas and oil infrastructure were each hit around 1,600 times.

Countries partnering with the U.S. in Iraq and Syria

Twelve countries have joined the U.S.-led coalition to counter ISIS. Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Jordan, and the United Kingdom participate on strikes in both Iraq and Syria. Belgium and Denmark are partners in Iraq. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are partners in Syria.

Cost to U.S. taxpayers

As of July 15, 2016, the total cost of these airstrike operations was $8.4 billion, with an average daily cost of $11.9 million.

U.S. servicemen killed in action

As of August 5, 2016, three members of the U.S. military have been killed in combat fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Another 17 have died from non-hostile incidents while serving in what is known as Operation Inherent Resolve.

ISIS territory lost in Iraq

In June, Brett McGurk, the State Department’s Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, said the terror group had lost about 50 percent of the territory it controlled in Iraq.

ISIS fighters

McGurk also said State Department counts estimate that ISIS had roughly 19,000 to 25,000 fighters as of June, down from an estimated 31,000 in 2014.

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