Explosions and sustained gunfire have been heard early on Thursday morning on the airport and armed forces airbase in Niger’s capital Niamey, witnesses mentioned, in what a safety supply described as an obvious assault at the facility.
There was once no rapid declare of accountability for an assault. A Nigerien govt spokesperson didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The Islamic State-affiliate within the area claimed accountability for an assault at the airport in January. On the time, the gang mentioned it had centered air command headquarters and drone belongings and claimed to have “delivered a direct blow” to the Sahel nation’s counterinsurgency operations.
Niger, like its Sahel neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, has struggled to include assaults from jihadist teams connected to al Qaeda and Islamic State that experience killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands around the 3 international locations.
On Thursday morning, the primary explosions passed off at round 6 a.m. native time (0500 GMT), and sporadic gunfire was once nonetheless audible just about two hours later, the Reuters witness mentioned.
Safety forces had blocked off the realm, the witnesses mentioned.
Within the assault in January, Niger’s Protection Ministry mentioned militants had arrived on bikes and safety forces briefly repelled them. It mentioned 4 squaddies have been wounded.
Subject material losses in that assault integrated a cache of ammunition that stuck hearth, the ministry mentioned on the time, including that there was once injury to a number of civilian airplanes.
Niger’s army ruler, Abdourahamane Tiani, accused the presidents of France, Benin, and the Ivory Coast of sponsoring the January assault, with out providing any proof. He additionally vowed retaliation.
