Security officers from the anti-terror police unit killed two terrorists during an ambush in Mandera on Monday.
According to the Counter Terrorism Policing, officers from the elite Special Operations Group (SOG), acting on intelligence, launched an operation in the wee hours of the night in Mandera and ambushed the terrorists as they were planning to launch an attack.
The militants from the Al Shabaab terror group were reportedly planning to terrorise Kenyans using the Alungu-Elwak road, Mandera County.
Further, the police report revealed that the insurgents were in the final stages of planting explosives on the main road, in a bid to target civilian vehicles.
During the incident, a fierce firefight ensued, during which two militants were felled as others sustained serious injuries before fleeing into nearby thickets with officers in hot pursuit.
''Acting on credible intelligence, the elite Special Operations Group launched a pre-dawn operation on Al Shabaab militants who were planning to terrorise Kenyans using the Alungu-Elwak road, Mandera County.
The terrorists were also in the final stages of placing explosives on the main road, targeting civilian vehicles,'' a police report confirmed.
"The terrorists were caught in the act of setting up the IED. A fierce firefight ensued, during which two militants were neutralised and others sustained serious injuries."
The elite unit managed to recover two AK-47 rifles, a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) warhead, and a fully assembled IED.
Preliminary assessments indicated that the operation managed to avert a potential large-scale attack on civilian traffic in the area.
Meanwhile, authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Kenya's security forces through intensified operations and sustained efforts in the fight against terrorism.
In a related development, on the morning of May 8, the elite SOG neutralised an Al-Shabaab terrorist in Garissa while responding to the reports by locals of militants attempting to plant improved explosive devices (IEDs) along the Dadaab-Hagadera road, targeting civilians and security vehicles.
During the exchange of fire, one militant was killed, and three others were injured. Security officers also managed to arrest one of the suspects.
The authorities recovered several weapons from the scene, including a PKM machine gun, an AK-47, a pistol, a comms radio, and an IED remote.
