Overview
- Niger’s defence ministry said armed men attacked Diori Hamani International Airport on Thursday, June 18, and that 11 soldiers, two civilians and 22 attackers were killed while about 20 suspects were detained.
- Residents and witnesses said gunfire began around 06:00 local time at a security checkpoint and continued for hours as attackers who arrived in taxis and some wearing explosive belts dispersed into nearby neighbourhoods.
- The ministry reported a large-scale army operation cleared the site, the airport was declared secured and remained open to flights, and security forces carried out sweeps of surrounding areas to hunt fleeing assailants.
- Some media outlets reported a claim of responsibility from the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), but official statements have not independently verified that attribution.
- The strike underscores repeated threats to the sensitive airport complex — which hosts drone units, foreign military contingents and stored uranium — and highlights tensions over recent security measures that have displaced thousands of local residents and tested the junta’s foreign partnerships.