Al-Qaeda-linked group claims attack on Niger capital's airport, killing 13
Quick Look
- A group linked to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for an attack on Niger's capital, Niamey, airport that killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians.
- Security forces repelled the raid, killing 22 attackers.
- The attack occurred six months after a similar assault on the site.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Niger has been ruled by a military junta for three years, struggling to contain a decade of jihadist violence. This attack follows a similar large assault on the airport six months prior.
A group linked to al-Qaeda claimed Thursday’s attack on the airport of Niger’s capital, Niamey, that killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians, six months after other jihadists staged a large assault on the sensitive site.
Twenty-two attackers were also killed as security forces repelled the raid on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s defence ministry said.
Gunfire erupted early in the morning and rang out for hours near the airport, where a large military presence was later deployed, residents said.
In the evening, a brief statement from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, or JNIM using its Arabic acronym, said it had carried out “a suicide attack” on the airport and on a neighbouring military base. The group is al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch.
Niger has been ruled for three years by a military junta which has struggled to contain jihadist violence that has rocked the west African country for a decade.
“I heard the first shots around 6am. The shooting was coming from the airport entrance,” where there is a security checkpoint, a resident told Agence France-Presse by phone.
Open Questions
- What is the full extent of damage and casualties?
- What specific security measures were compromised?
- What is the junta's immediate response plan?
