In Somalia, the Defense Ministry said the Somali National Army (SNA) killed three al-Shabaab militants and rescued 30 hostages during an operation near Buula Madiina, on the outskirts of Afgoye in the Lower Shabelle region.
The civilians — including two women — had been held in an “illegal detention site and a makeshift so-called court” used by the al-Qaeda-linked group to intimidate local residents, according to the ministry.
Troops also destroyed the facility as part of ongoing nationwide operations aimed at dismantling al-Shabaab networks. Afgoye, 30 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, is a key agricultural hub that militants have long sought to destabilize.
The Somali government says security forces, backed by international partners, have conducted 220 precision airstrikes since February, killing more than 860 militants. Al-Shabaab has fought a 16-year insurgency, carrying out regular attacks on civilians, officials and security personnel.
Across the border in Kenya, two Border Patrol Unit officers were killed when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by al-Shabaab along the Liboi-Kulan road in Garissa County, police said.
The blast ripped apart the patrol vehicle, killing both officers instantly in the region just kilometers from the Somalia frontier. Images from the scene showed the wreckage overturned and twisted, with a large crater marking the explosion point. Security teams were deployed to secure the area.
Al-Shabaab frequently targets Kenyan patrols in Garissa, Mandera and Wajir counties, exploiting porous borders and remote terrain to stage roadside bombings, ambushes and attacks on police posts. Kenya has faced persistent retaliation from the group since deploying troops to Somalia in 2011 under the African Union mission, now ATMIS.
Authorities in both countries say the latest incidents highlight the continuing threat posed by al-Shabaab and underscore the need for sustained military coordination and intelligence sharing along the border.