As coalition forces pound "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) targets along the Euphrates River Valley in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been providing vital intelligence from the ground.

Coalition forces carried out a series of airstrikes against ISIS targets in the Albu Kamal area of Syria's Deir Ezzor province between January 19th and 25th, conducting 60 strikes in total, coalition officials said on January 26th.

Precision strikes killed an estimated 150 ISIS elements near As Shafah, a town near the Iraqi border, on January 20th, coalition officials said on January 23rd.

The January 20th strikes were the culmination of an extensive intelligence effort to confirm the location of an ISIS headquarters and command-and-control centre in an exclusively ISIS-occupied location, they said.

SDF forces on the ground assisted in target observation prior to the strikes, they added, noting that a combination of intelligence and continuous eyes on the target were instrumental to the operation's success.

Combined intelligence

The operation was the culmination of close surveillance by the coalition using technological means and intelligence provided by SDF ground forces, said Adnan Azadi of the Asayesh (Kurdish internal security forces).

The combined intelligence was used to pinpoint the location of the ISIS elements, and a strike was launched, he told Diyaruna, noting that this type of operation is the result of ongoing SDF and coalition co-operation.

"The SDF move on the ground came after co-ordination with the joint SDF-coalition operations room and based on information obtained by the various means," Azadi said.

The SDF provide the coalition with intelligence obtained through monitoring and surveillance activities conducted at posts spread out across SDF-controlled areas, he said.

SDF intelligence teams "collect information on the ground and follow up on and verify every piece of information", he said.

Intelligence information also is obtained from informants in areas that are still under ISIS control, Azadi said, noting that this underscores the depth of the relationship between the SDF and the local population in those areas.

The coalition's 'right arm'

The situation on the ground requires the continued supply of intelligence to the coalition command, so ISIS remnants can be routed and blocked from any attempt to regroup and seize new areas, Azadi said.

"Some ISIS presence remains in the Euphrates and rural Deir Ezzor areas and is being dealt with on an almost daily basis, in addition to the open battles fought against the group’s remaining elements in this region," he said.

"The international coalition regards the SDF as its right arm, which carries out military operations on the ground that are integrated with international efforts," said strategy analyst Maj. Gen. Yahya Mohammed Ali.

The SDF "is fully familiar with the land it is fighting on and knows its secrets and terrain", he told Diyaruna.

Aerial surveillance alone may not be sufficient to ensure precise targets or obtain adequate information about the massing of ISIS fighters, Syrian journalist Mohammed al-Abdullah told Diyaruna.

"It was natural that the statement issued by the coalition would note the efforts of the SDF in this regard," he said, noting that these forces are spread out across vast expanses and strategic areas.

This enables them to monitor ISIS movements and collect information, he said, adding that coalition co-operation with the SDF has yielded positive results.