| Anti-Terror Units | |
|---|---|
| Kurdish:Yekîneyên Antî Teror | |
 | |
| Active | 2014–present |
| Country |   Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria |
| Branch |  People's Protection Units (YPG) Women's Protection Units (YPJ) |
| Type | Special forces |
| Role | Counter-insurgency Counter-terrorism[1] Direct action High-value targets Manhunting Intelligence operations Mobility operations Unconventional warfare |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ali Boutan (nom de guerre: Haji Kurkhan) †[3][6] Shervan Kobani †[7] |
TheAnti-Terror Units (Kurdish:Yekîneyên Antî Teror, abbreviatedYAT,Arabic:وحدات مكافحة الإرهاب) are thespecial forces of theSyrian Democratic Forces, consisting of the best trained and equipped members of thePeople's Protection Units (YPG) andWomen's Protection Units (YPJ). They were led by theSyrian Kurdish commander Ali Boutan until his death in 2016, then by Shervan Kobani until his death in 2023.[7] YAT is trained byUnited States special operations forces and theCIA.[3]
Formed as the YPG's special forces in late 2014, the unit was organized to seek and destroyIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)sleeper cells inRojava and to conduct operations behind enemy lines.[8] At first, the unit "existed in name only", as it consisted of "fierce fighters but only just that".[3] This changed under the leadership of Ali Boutan who reformed YAT and began to put its members through training courses that were intended to emulate those ofUS andBritish special forces, while providing them with the best equipment the YPG/YPJ could afford. As cooperation between the YPG and the United States increased, YAT was further trained by US special forces and theCIA in designated compounds in Rojava andJordan, while some YAT commanders were sent toFort Bragg andFort Campbell for in-depth training.[3]
Since its formation, YAT has carried out raids against ISIL targets,[9] arrested ISIL sleeper cells,[10] and stopped ISIL terrorist attacks.[11][12] In September 2016, YAT captured twoSultan Murad Division fighters who had previously been filmed torturing YPG fighters inJarabulus.[2]
In November 2016,[6] Boutan was the target of animprovised explosive device (IED) inQamishli, which exploded as his car passed by. Even though an American SOF medic attempted to save his life, he died of his wounds shortly after. The attack was believed to have been carried out by the TurkishNational Intelligence Organization.[3] The Turkish pro-governmentAnadolu Agency claimed that Boutan had been responsible for sendingKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters into Turkey in order to conduct "terror operations".[6]
In April 2017, YATaided US special forces in capturing parts of theTabqa Dam from ISIL.[3] During the battle, YAT commandos were equipped with US-suppliedcombat helmets,AN/PVS-7night vision devices,flashlights, and were armed withM4 carbines equipped withAN/PEQ-2laser sights,holographic weapon sights, andSTANAG magazines.[13]
On 21 June 2017, YAT captured five ISIL sleeper agents who were preparing a terrorist attack inManbij.[14] In January 2018, the Anti-Terror Units killed the mastermind of theJuly 2016 Qamishli bombings, Hisen Ayid el-Bilebil Ebu el-Walid, duringoperations inDeir ez-Zor Governorate.[4] In the same month, they also captured around twenty foreign members of ISIL as they attempted to flee from Syria to Turkey. One of those arrested was Thomas Barnouin, a French jihadist who is considered to be one of the planners of the2012 Toulouse attack and theNovember 2015 Paris attacks.[15]
YAT was involved in resistingOperation Olive Branch in early 2018, with some of its members reportedly killed by theTurkish Armed Forces.[16]
On 1 September 2019, YAT captured Mohammed Remedan Eyd al-Talah,ISIL's chief financial officer, during a raid inash-Shahil,Deir ez-Zor Governorate.[5]
9 YAT members including its commander Shervan Kobani were killed when two helicopters carrying them crashed inDuhok Governorate,Kurdistan Region on 15 March 2023.[7]
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