Police kill 11 suspected al Shabaab gang members in ambush in Mandera

An intelligence-led operation by the Special Operations Group (SOG), supported by aerial assets, killed 11 al-Shabaab terrorists after raiding a makeshift camp in Mandera near the Kenya-Somalia border.

The militants, estimated to number about 30, were reportedly planning an attack on a border village in Mandera County, police said.

Officials said at least seven terrorists were seriously injured during the operation on Sunday, while the remaining fighters fled into Somalia.

Security officers recovered three PKM machine guns and about 409 rounds of ammunition.

Beyond the weapons, investigators also seized mandatory religious tax receipts used by al-Shabaab.

The documents point to a structured system of taxation and checkpoint administration, reinforcing intelligence that the group continues to operate an organized governance and revenue collection network in territories across the border, officials said.

The recovered records provide fresh insight into how the militants finance and sustain their operations while preparing attacks targeting Kenya.

The teams have sustained pressure on the gunmen and general crime in the region.

Last week, another team based in Kina, Isiolo netted arms destined for Nairobi.

The Vehicle Check point (VCP) carried out intelligence led operations after arresting a main actor in illegal arms and ammo sales and distribution in Tana River, Isiolo, Meru and Garissa.

The incident in Mandera is consistent with the militant group’s pattern of increased activity in Kenya’s North Eastern region, particularly during periods of seasonal escalation.

The incident comes as security agencies continue to enhance operations along the Kenya-Somalia border to avert continued attempts by the al-Shabaab militia to infiltrate the country.

This has led to a general decline in terror related attacks in the region and other urban areas. The attacks had affected development at large prompting the government to invest more in terms of security operations.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre’s military regime, which ushered in more than two decades of anarchy and conflict in a country deeply divided along clan lines.

Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi on October 14, 2011, after gunmen seized tourists at the Coast, which the Government saw as a threat to the country’s sovereignty, as it targeted the nation’s economic lifeline, which is tourism.