11 soldiers, 22 terrorists killed in deadly airport attack

A preliminary report released by the military government of the Republic of Niger announced that 11 soldiers and 22 terrorists were killed early Thursday morning during an attack at the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, the nation’s capital.

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The announcement, monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, was originally reported by the DW Hausa Service. According to the broadcast, two civilians also lost their lives in the assault.

The attack, which reportedly began near the airport’s main entrance, forced security forces to seal off the area and place the capital on maximum alert.

Residents stated that the Nigerien army repelled the morning attack. Military forces launched a sweep of the surrounding areas to hunt down the fleeing assailants, who reportedly abandoned a cache of weapons during their retreat.

While the military government has not yet issued an official statement, and no group has claimed responsibility for the airport attack, a similar incident occurred at the same facility in January this year.

During the January incident, armed militants affiliated with the Islamic State in the Sahel (IS-Sahel) launched a multi-axis assault using motorcycles, mortars, and drones.

READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: ISWAP’s next frontier is Cameroonian community that borders Nigeria

They targeted both the civilian terminal and the adjacent Air Base 101, a critical strategic hub for the country’s military operations.

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That encounter resulted in a fierce battle. While Nigerien forces—allied with Russian Africa Corps fighters—eventually killed several militants and captured others, the attackers destroyed several military pieces of equipment, including military aircraft and heavily damaged multiple commercial planes on the tarmac.

Niger has been battling a sophisticated militant Islamist insurgency for over a decade. Like its neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is governed by a military junta that seized power, promising a decisive end to the widespread regional violence.

Niger sits at the heart of a complex, multi-front war against violent extremism that has destabilised the broader Sahel region since the mid-2010s.

The country faces distinct insurgent threats. In the west (near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso), it fights IS-Sahel and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM. In the southeast (near Lake Chad), it battles Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).