Heavy gunfire and loud explosions erupted early Thursday morning at the international airport in Niger’s capital, forcing terrified residents to flee for cover during morning prayers.
Local witnesses in Niamey reported that the intense firefight began around 06:00 local time near the main entrance of the Diori Hamani International Airport. The chaotic shooting lasted for nearly two consecutive hours, spreading panic throughout the surrounding neighborhoods. According to military sources on the ground, the national army responded quickly, successfully repelling the heavily armed attackers after a fierce battle.
Government forces have already launched a massive manhunt across the capital to track down the fleeing assailants. Officers confirmed that the attackers abandoned a large cache of weapons and ammunition as they retreated from the airport perimeter.
While the military junta currently running Niger has not issued an official statement, suspicion has immediately fallen on local Islamist insurgent groups. The country has been battling a brutal decade-long jihadist insurgency. In fact, a highly active affiliate of the Islamic State group previously launched a similar deadly assault on this exact same airport in January.
During that January attack, 20 terrorists were killed and four military personnel were wounded. Following that incident, Niger’s military leader, Abdourahamane Tiani, publicly thanked Russia for providing critical assistance to foil the plot, while simultaneously accusing Western nations of backing the regional instability.
In recent weeks, authorities had actually demolished several entire neighborhoods located close to the airport, citing extreme terrorist risks. They had also extended the main perimeter fences and installed over 350 high-tech surveillance cameras, but these heavy security measures were still not enough to prevent Thursday’s dramatic security breach.
