Tuesday June 10, 2025
A collage of some of the guns and RPGs recovered by the elite SOG group from Alshabaab militants on June 10, 2025. Photo Counter Terrorism Policing
Mogadishu (HOL) — Kenya’s elite anti-terror police unit killed two al-Shabab militants and injured several others during a pre-dawn ambush in Mandera County on Monday, disrupting a planned attack targeting civilians.
According to the Directorate of Counter Terrorism, officers from the Special Operations Group (SOG) launched the operation based on credible intelligence that the militants were preparing to plant improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the Alungu-Elwak road, a key route in Mandera near the Somali border.
“The terrorists were caught in the act of setting up an IED,” the police statement said. “A fierce firefight ensued, during which two militants were neutralized and others sustained serious injuries.”Authorities confirmed the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) warhead, and a fully assembled IED from the scene.
Police said the ambush foiled a potentially deadly attack aimed at civilian vehicles using the road, and emphasized that the militants were in the final stages of executing their plan when the operation was launched.
The incident underscores the ongoing threat posed by al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked extremist group that has carried out deadly attacks in both Somalia and Kenya for more than a decade.
Kenyan authorities reiterated their commitment to strengthening counterterrorism operations and maintaining border security, particularly in volatile areas such as Mandera, which has seen repeated attacks and attempted ambushes by al-Shabab.
The operation came just hours before the First Vice President of Somalia’s Jubbaland State, Mahmoud Sayid Aden, met with the Governor of Mandera County to discuss joint security measures. The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation to tackle cross-border threats and ensure the safety of residents along the Kenya-Somalia border.