
4 Elite Police Operators Killed While SIX Missing In Mandera
At least four elite police officers from the Special Operations Group (SOG) were killed on Thursday in an ambush by al Shabaab terrorists in the Guba area of Elwak, Mandera County.
Their bodies were discovered Friday morning, long after they had died from their injuries after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, police said.
Six more people were injured and evacuated on Thursday night by response teams.
Terrorism Incident Report
— CTNSIS (@CTNSIS) July 12, 2024
In a devastating blow to the elite SOG Unit in Mandera, 4 Operators killed and 5 Missing after contact with Al-Shabāab terrorists at Guba.
Terrorism threat remains significantly elevated in Lamu, Lower Garissa & Mandera.
Police said five al Shabaab terrorists were killed in a clash on Thursday, July 11 evening, as a SOG team pursued suspected terrorists spotted in the area.
Five other missing police officers were found alive but injured.
SOG is an elite team within the Border Patrol Unit tasked with containing terrorist activities along the porous Kenya-Somalia border.
They have successfully contained terror activities in the area as a whole.
The officers were trailing gunmen in the area when they were ambushed around 6 p.m. Thursday. They fought back, killing five of the attackers.
Thursday, July 11 evening a team from Special Operations Group pursued suspected Al Shabaab terrorists in Guba, Elwak, Mandera county. 5 militants were killed while four members of SOG were seriously wounded. pic.twitter.com/NOMLyM7MTy
— Intelligence Africa (@africa_intel) July 12, 2024
The team recovered various weapons from the suspects in the clash, while others fled with injuries.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border, which is frequently crossed by terrorist groups who attack the region before fleeing.
A helicopter was later dispatched to the scene to pick up the injured and bodies, according to police.
Police operations in the area foiled planned attacks in Kenya. More personnel have been deployed to the area to quell the attacks.
Locals have long been encouraged to collaborate with security agencies to combat the trend. This is because such attacks cannot occur without the knowledge of locals.
This comes amid increased security following concerns that the terror group may be planning an attack after a long hiatus.
The border region has been the target of repeated attacks by militants, who are sometimes aided by locals.
Since the fall of Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has not had a stable government.
The area is near the Somalia border, and militants typically cross at will and stage attacks before fleeing back.
Al-Shabaab terrorists have been attacking locations in the region, particularly in Mandera and Garissa counties, after breaching security zones, killing and injuring dozens of civilians and security officials.
Terrorists have planted explosives along the routes used by security agencies. Kenyan troops are in Somalia to pursue and disrupt the terrorist group’s activities.
But terrorists continue to cross into Kenya to carry out attacks.
4 Elite Police Operators Killed While SIX Missing In Mandera