Overview
- Niger’s defence ministry said security forces repelled an early-morning assault on Diori Hamani International Airport on Thursday, reporting 11 soldiers and two civilians killed and 22 attackers slain.
- JNIM claimed responsibility and the military said some assailants wore explosive belts, arrived at the checkpoint by taxi, about 20 suspects were arrested and four people were wounded.
- Officials said the airport complex is secured and normal flights have resumed under reinforced checks while army sweep operations and investigations continue in surrounding neighbourhoods.
- This is the second major strike on the Niamey airport this year after a January attack claimed by the Islamic State in the Sahel, a pattern analysts say reflects growing competition between jihadist networks and a shift toward urban targets.
- The assault raises new security and political stakes for Niger by exposing vulnerabilities at a site that hosts military air assets, regional command functions and stored uranium, and it has intensified the junta’s perimeter fortification and public accusations against foreign actors.