Kenya's elite Special Operations Group intercepted eight Al-Shabaab militants attempting to set up improvised explosive devices in Garissa County. The operation, prompted by local intelligence, recovered several assembled IEDs targeting civilians and security personnel on a busy route. This incident underscores ongoing militant threats in the region.
Kenya’s Special Operations Group (SOG) foiled a potential terror attack in the Welmerer-Yumbia area of Garissa County. Security reports indicate that the unit received intelligence from local community members about eight Al-Shabaab militants assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Officers responded immediately, engaging the suspects in a brief exchange before recovering several already assembled and planted IEDs along the Welmerer-Yumbis road.
The Counter Terrorism Policing unit shared details in a report on Monday, stating: “Our Elite Special Operations Group (SOG) stopped 8 Al-Shabaab terrorists who were attempting to set up Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS) at the Welmerer-Yumbia area in Garissa.” It added: “The brave officers engaged the terrorists and managed to recover assembled IEDS, which were to be used to attack our mothers, children, and security officers using the Welmerer-Yumbis road.”
The devices were intended to target civilians and security personnel traveling the busy route connecting parts of the county. This intervention averted what could have been another devastating attack amid rising militant activity in the area.
Recent incidents highlight the persistent threat. In July 2025, three Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers died and several others were injured when their vehicle hit an IED during a routine patrol along the Sakuri-Kiunga Main Supply Route. Earlier that month, four suspected Al-Shabaab militants were neutralized in Garissa's Najo and Guracho areas using drones; authorities recovered AK-47 rifles, a PKM machine gun, ammunition, and communication radios. In August 2025, KDF officers killed at least five militants during an intelligence-led patrol in Lacta Mangai within Lamu County's Boni Forest, with others injured.