Wamuzi News Ke
In a dramatic counter-terrorism operation, Kenya’s elite Special Operations Group (SOG) intercepted a group of eight Al-Shabaab operatives in Garissa County who were in the final stages of planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the busy Welmerer-Yumbia route.
The Operation.
Security officials say the breakthrough followed a tip-off from locals in the Welmerer-Yumbia area who identified suspicious activity that drew the attention of the Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP). The SOG unit rapidly mobilised and engaged the militants just as they were assembling several IEDs for deployment.
“The SOG stopped eight Al-Shabaab terrorists who were attempting to set up Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the Welmerer-Yumbia area in Garissa,” the official statement said. Upon arrival, officers discovered multiple completed devices planted along the roadside — targeting both civilian and security traffic. The recovery of these explosives thwarted what could have been a catastrophic attack in the region.
The plot targeted one of Garissa’s major transit routes — a corridor often used by both civilians and security convoys, raising the potential for mass casualties and devastation.Al-Shabaab’s increased use of IEDs across north-eastern Kenya has been well documented, with the insurgents favouring such weapons for their destructive capacity and fear-inducing impact.
The success of this mission underscores the growing importance of intelligence-led local cooperation: the initial tip came from community members who responded to the looming threat.
Security sources confirm that following the engagement, the operation secured several bomb-making components and weapons, although full details of arrests and casualties were not immediately released.
The CTP commended the Garissa residents for their vigilance and urged continued collaboration to forestall future plots. Authorities have launched a wider sweep across Garissa County and neighbouring zones, checking known militant hide-outs and verifying movement along key routes.
For Kenya’s national security strategy, this incident is both a warning and a validation:A warning that Al-Shabaab remains capable of planning sophisticated attacks within Kenyan territory despite intensive military pressure.
A validation of the value of joint local intelligence, rapid response forces like the SOG and community-based monitoring.Security analysts say this operation, if followed by prosecutions and intelligence gathering, could disrupt Al-Shabaab’s IED pipeline in the frontier region — though the group may be driven to shift tactics in response.
