NAIROBI — The Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) announced on Tuesday that five Al-Shabaab militants were killed in a security operation inside Boni Forest, a dense woodland along the Kenya-Somalia border long known as a militant hideout.
The raid, carried out in the Lacta Mangai area of Lamu County, is part of the ongoing “Operation Amani Boni,” a counterterrorism initiative launched in 2015 to root out Al-Qaeda-linked fighters who have used the forest as a base for cross-border attacks.
According to a KDF statement, security forces recovered a cache of weapons and supplies from the militants, including AK-47 rifles, hand grenades, assorted ammunition, tents, solar-powered equipment, and materials believed to be used in the making of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Military officials said the operation was intelligence-led and targeted militants believed to have been planning attacks against civilians and security installations in Kenya’s coastal region.
The Boni Forest, which stretches across the Kenya-Somalia frontier, has been a stronghold for Al-Shabaab militants who have staged deadly ambushes, roadside bombings, and raids on villages in Lamu and Garissa counties.
Kenya has stepped up its counterterrorism measures in recent years, with KDF forces working closely with local police and community informants to prevent further militant incursions. Authorities say operations in the forest will continue until the threat is fully neutralized.
