Kenyan security forces killed two suspected Al-Shabaab militants and wounded several others in an operation near the country’s border with Somalia, police said Tuesday. The Counter Terrorism Policing Unit said officers from the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) carried out the intelligence-led operation on the outskirts of Sarira in Mandera County ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations last week on Friday.
According to a police statement, officers received intelligence about a planned infiltration attempt and tracked the suspects with support from aerial surveillance assets. Security forces laid an ambush, killing two of the suspected militants and injuring four others. The remaining members of the group fled across the border into Somalia, police said.
The operation comes amid heightened security across Kenya, with authorities increasing patrols, reinforcing checkpoints, and stepping up surveillance in areas considered vulnerable to militant attacks.
Last month, counterterrorism officers said they disrupted a suspected Al-Shabaab plot in Nairobi following extensive monitoring of the group’s movements and communications. Police said they recovered assault rifles, pistols, and explosive devices allegedly intended for use in an attack during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-linked militant group based in Somalia, has carried out numerous attacks in Kenya in recent years, particularly in border regions and major cities.