Niger reports 13 killed in attack on Niamey airport complex
Niger’s defence ministry said 11 soldiers and two civilians died after armed men attacked the capital’s airport and nearby military base.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Armed men attacked the airport complex in Niger’s capital, killing 11 soldiers and two civilians, the country’s defence ministry said Thursday. The assault targeted one of Niger’s most sensitive military sites, five months after another attack on the same area.
The ministry said in a statement read on national television that security forces killed 22 attackers and detained about 20 suspects. It gave a preliminary toll of four wounded and said no group had immediately claimed responsibility.
Al Jazeera reported that soldiers fought suspected rebels around Diori Hamani International Airport and an adjoining military airbase in Niamey earlier Thursday. A source told the network that gunmen linked to an armed group struck at about 6 a.m. local time, or 05:00 GMT.
An airport employee who lives nearby told Al Jazeera he heard heavy gunfire and saw a large military deployment while heading to work, then turned back for safety. Another local source near the airport reported intense artillery fire, according to Al Jazeera.
AFP, citing a source, reported that the gunmen reached a security checkpoint near the airport by taxi before meeting strong resistance from security forces. Gunfire continued for hours in the area, according to the report.
The defence ministry said the army had launched a large operation and that the international airport was secure and remained open to flights. By around noon local time, the area appeared mostly calm, with only occasional fire that may have been tied to army search operations, a Reuters witness and two residents said.
Strategic site in the capital
The airport and military airbase sit in the same complex, with the base across from the civilian terminal. Al Jazeera reported that the site hosts the G5 Sahel counterterrorism force, Russian forces and a drone unit used for strikes against rebel groups.
The complex also stores uranium stocks that Niger is seeking to sell, according to Al Jazeera. Any attack on those facilities could create a serious environmental risk, the network reported.
The assault followed a January 29 attack on the same complex that was claimed by the regional affiliate of ISIL. Nigerien authorities said at the time that 20 fighters were killed and four soldiers were wounded in that attack.
After the January assault, the ISIL affiliate said it had targeted air command headquarters and drone assets, according to Al Jazeera. The group claimed it had struck Niger’s operations against rebels.
In recent weeks, Nigerien authorities began demolishing thousands of homes built illegally near the airport, saying the action was meant to reduce what they described as a terrorist threat, Al Jazeera reported. Officials alleged the shantytowns had been infiltrated by armed rebels.
Authorities have also extended the airport perimeter fence and installed more than 350 security cameras inside and outside the perimeter, according to Al Jazeera.
Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, has faced years of attacks by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL. Al Jazeera reported that the violence has killed thousands of people and displaced millions across the three Sahel countries.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.