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| Africa Horn |
| Kenya’s Special Forces Say They Killed 11 Al-Shabaab Members |
| 2026-07-14 |
| [ShabellleMedia] Kenya’s Special Operations Group (SOG) has announced that it killed 11 suspected Al-Shabaab militants during an operation carried out near the Kenya–Somalia border. According to the Kenyan security forces, the operation targeted a temporary Al-Shabaab camp located close to the border between the two countries. The SOG troops reportedly engaged the militants in a brief firefight, forcing the remaining fighters to flee across the border into Somalia. The Kenyan military said that 11 Al-Shabaab members were killed during the operation, while seven others were wounded in the fighting. The forces also reported recovering weapons, including three PKM machine guns and 409 rounds of ammunition. Kenyan security officials stated that the targeted group had been planning attacks on one of the villages along the Mandera border region. The operation is part of Kenya’s ongoing efforts to combat Al-Shabaab and strengthen security in communities along the Somalia–Kenya border. The operation was carried out by the elite Special Operations Group with aerial support after intelligence indicated that about 30 suspected militants had gathered at a makeshift camp in Mandera County to plan an attack on villages along the border, according to security officials. Police said the remaining fighters fled across the border into Somalia. Security forces recovered several documents believed to belong to Al-Shabaab. Among the documents were what authorities described as receipts for mandatory religious taxes allegedly collected by the militant group. Officials said the records could provide valuable intelligence into how Al-Shabaab finances its operations and administers areas under its control through taxation and checkpoint collections. The operation was aimed at disrupting the planned attack before it could be carried out and preventing another cross-border assault in Kenya's northeastern region, police said. The raid is part of an intensified campaign by Kenyan security agencies targeting militant networks operating along the porous Kenya-Somalia border, where authorities have stepped up intelligence-led operations to prevent attacks. The operation came days after police arrested a suspect at the Kina Vehicle Checkpoint in Isiolo County who is believed to be linked to an illegal firearms and ammunition trafficking network spanning the counties of Tana River, Isiolo, Meru, and Garissa. Related: Mandera: 2026-06-18 Somali Forces Step Up Joint Operations Against Al-Shabaab in Southern Region Mandera: 2026-06-14 Three officers injured as Al-Shabaab attacks elite SOG camp in Mandera Mandera: 2026-06-13 Kenyan Forces Repel Suspected Al-Shabaab Night Attack on Military Base Near Somalia Border |
| Posted by:trailing wife |