Three police officers were injured after suspected Al-Shabaab militants stormed a Special Operations Group camp in Fino, Lafey Sub-County, Mandera County on Friday night, using RPGs and PKM machine guns in a fierce 25-minute firefight.
Three police officers were wounded on Friday night after suspected Al-Shabaab militants launched a brazen assault on a Special Operations Group (SOG) camp in Fino, Lafey Sub-County, in Mandera County — the latest in a string of terror-linked incidents rocking Kenya's volatile northeastern border region.
The attack, which was ultimately repelled by alert security officers, lasted approximately 25 minutes and underscored the persistent threat posed by the Somalia-based militant group along Kenya's frontier with Somalia.
According to preliminary police reports, the militants launched a coordinated assault on the SOG camp under the cover of darkness on Friday night. The attackers came armed with heavy weaponry, deploying Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and PKM machine guns in the assault — firepower typically associated with organised militant operations rather than opportunistic raids.
SOG officers stationed at the camp responded swiftly and decisively, engaging the attackers in an intense firefight. After approximately 25 minutes of sustained combat, the security forces managed to force the militants to retreat, preventing them from breaching the camp or causing greater casualties. Three officers sustained injuries during the exchange and were subsequently evacuated for medical treatment.
Following the repulsion of the attack, security agencies immediately mounted a pursuit operation targeting the fleeing assailants. Additional security personnel were deployed to the area to reinforce the local presence and support the ongoing manhunt for the militants who escaped into the surrounding terrain.
Fino's geographic location makes it a strategically sensitive and chronically vulnerable point in Kenya's national security architecture. Situated near the Kenya-Somalia border, the area has a well-documented history of attacks linked to Al-Shabaab, which has long exploited the porous frontier to launch incursions into Kenyan territory, target security installations, and destabilise border communities.
The Friday night assault is not an isolated incident. It is the latest chapter in a pattern of escalating militant activity in Mandera County that security forces have been working to contain.
Just two days before the Fino attack, on Wednesday evening, police officers in Mandera foiled another Al-Shabaab assault, this time targeting the Jabi Quick Response Unit (QRU) Camp, also located in Lafey Sub-County.
Preliminary reports indicated that around 10 heavily armed militants approached the Jabi camp from the north-eastern direction and opened fire shortly after 7pm. The attackers engaged the camp from a standoff distance of approximately 600 metres — a tactical approach that security analysts interpret as a deliberate effort to test the camp's defensive capabilities and probe for weaknesses before committing to a full assault.
Officers at the QRU camp responded with equal force, successfully repelling the attackers without allowing any breach of the installation. No casualties were reported in that incident.
The back-to-back attacks on two separate security installations within the same sub-county within 48 hours signals a sustained and organised campaign by militants in the area, raising concerns among security agencies about the level of coordination and intelligence being employed by Al-Shabaab operatives operating near the Kenyan border.
What Is the Special Operations Group?
The Special Operations Group is an elite, multi-agency counter-terrorism unit that operates under the Border Patrol Unit (BPU). It works in close coordination with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to secure Kenya's borders and respond to high-risk security threats in areas most exposed to cross-border militant activity.
The SOG's presence in Mandera reflects the heightened security posture that Kenyan authorities have adopted in the northeastern counties, where Al-Shabaab has repeatedly attempted to extend its reach and undermine the state's authority over border communities.
Mandera County has for years been one of the most frequently targeted regions in Kenya by Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based Islamist militant group with affiliations to al-Qaeda. The group has carried out numerous attacks across the county over the years, targeting civilians, government workers, and security personnel alike.
The two attacks in Lafey Sub-County this week are a stark reminder that despite significant security investments and counterterrorism operations in the region, Al-Shabaab continues to regard Kenya's northeastern border as an active operational theatre.
Security agencies have assured the public that operations to track down the perpetrators of Friday's camp attack are actively ongoing, with reinforcements already in place to prevent further incursions.