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.
Read the full article at South China Morning Post →📄Source document: Niger's defence ministry
1 reports
South China Morning PostParty-alignedCenter3 days agoA group linked to al-Qaeda, known as JNIM, claimed responsibility for an attack on Niger's Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, killing at least 11 soldiers and two civilians. Twenty-two attackers were killed during the assault, which occurred early in the morning and lasted several hours. The attack took place six months after a previous large-scale jihadist attack on the same location. The military junta ruling Niger has faced challenges in containing ongoing jihadist violence in the region.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on an attack attributed to a terrorist group without taking a stance on the political implications of the event. It provides factual details about the incident, including casualties, the group responsible, and the context of previous attacks. There is no evident bias in the tone,
Official sources cited
- government Niger's defence ministry
- press release Agence France-Presse
HK