Operation Linda Nchi ("Protect the country";Swahili: Linda Nchi) is the codename for a coordinated military operation between the Somalian military, the Kenyan military, the Ethiopian military, the French military, and allegedly the United States military that began on an unspecified date in mid-October 2011, when troops from Kenya crossed the border into the conflict zones of southern Somalia. The soldiers were in pursuit of Al-Shabaab militants that are alleged to have kidnapped several foreign tourists and aid workers inside Kenya. According to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, the operation represents one of the final stages in the Islamist insurgency of the Somali Civil War.

Kenya's incursion into southern Somalia started after the kidnapping of two Spanish women, who were working for Médecins Sans Frontières at the Dadaab refugee camp. The abductions were allegedly carried out by Al Shabaab militants. The Kenyan government claimed its troop deployment had received approval from the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG). Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister, Moses Wetangula, stated that the deployment of Kenyan troops was at the request of the TFG. The Kenyan military said that there was no set exit date for the operation, but the indicator of the mission's success would be a crippling of Al-Shabaab's capacity.