The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with support from the US-backed coalition, upped military operations on May 1 with the launch of Operation Roundup, continuing to gain ground against ISIS targets, the US Department of Defense said in a report on Friday.
The coalition reported a 304 percent increase in strikes during the month of May with 225 airstrikes and 280 engagements compared to March's 74 strikes and a 123 percent increase recorded over April's 183 strikes.
The uptick in activity follows an operational pause during the first few months of this year when Kurdish forces of the SDF redeployed from eastern Syria to defend Afrin from a Turkish-led offensive. In late April, the coalition confirmed that the SDF had returned in full force to the frontlines against ISIS in Deir ez-Zor.
Operation Roundup will continue gaining momentum against ISIS in its final stronghold in the middle Euphrates River valley as well as the Iraq-Syria border region.
SDF commanders predict nearly 2,000 ISIS militants are in this region.
Deputy commander of the coalition's combined joint task force, Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney, said in a tweet in mid-May that ISIS fighters "continue to surrender rather than face certain death."
Gedney said the SDF is coordinating with Iraqi security forces operating across the border.
The coalition and partner forces “continue to exert pressure on ISIS senior leaders and associates to degrade, disrupt and dismantle ISIS structures and remove terrorists throughout Iraq and Syria," read a coalition statement, adding that the morale of ISIS is "sinking on the front lines."
The coalition has documented the deaths of 892 civilians in its campaign since 2014, according to the latest monthly report. Independent observers put the number of civilian casualties much higher.
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