Kenyan security forces kill 11 suspected al-Shabaab militants in an intelligence-led Mandera raid, foiling a planned attack and seizing weapons and tax records.
At least 11 suspected al-Shabaab militants were killed during an intelligence-led security operation conducted by the Special Operations Group (SOG), with support from aerial assets, near the Kenya-Somalia border in Mandera County.
Police said the operation targeted a makeshift camp where about 30 militants had reportedly assembled while planning an attack on a border village in Mandera on Sunday. Security officials said 11 suspected terrorists were killed during the raid, while at least seven others sustained serious injuries. The remaining fighters fled across the border into Somalia.
Officers recovered three PKM machine guns and approximately 409 rounds of ammunition from the scene.
Investigators also seized mandatory religious tax receipts believed to have been issued by al-Shabaab. Officials said the documents indicate the group's structured taxation and checkpoint administration system, reinforcing intelligence that the militants continue to operate an organised governance and revenue collection network in territories across the border.
Authorities said the recovered records provide fresh insight into how the extremist group finances and sustains its operations while preparing attacks targeting Kenya.
The Mandera operation is part of an intensified security campaign aimed at disrupting terrorist networks and reducing cross-border incursions. Officials said sustained pressure by security agencies has contributed to a decline in terror-related incidents in the region.
Last week, another intelligence-led operation by officers manning the Kina Vehicle Checkpoint in Isiolo County led to the arrest of a key suspect allegedly involved in the illegal trade of firearms and ammunition. Police said the suspect was linked to arms distribution networks operating across Tana River, Isiolo, Meru and Garissa counties, with some of the weapons believed to have been destined for Nairobi.
The latest operation in Mandera reflects al-Shabaab's continued attempts to infiltrate Kenya through the North Eastern region, where the group has periodically stepped up attacks despite heightened security operations along the border. The government has, in recent years, expanded surveillance, intelligence gathering and joint security operations along the Kenya-Somalia frontier to counter the militant threat, contributing to a significant reduction in terrorist attacks and supporting economic activities in previously affected areas.
Somalia has experienced prolonged instability since the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991, creating conditions that enabled the emergence and expansion of militant groups, including al-Shabaab.
Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi in October 2011 following a series of cross-border attacks and kidnappings targeting tourists and aid workers along the Coast, aimed at dismantling al-Shabaab strongholds and protecting Kenya's territorial integrity and key economic sectors, particularly tourism. This has helped stabilise most parts of the country that were initially unstable and occupied by the terror group.