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Gunmen attack Niger airport, sparking exchange of fire
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Gunmen attacked Niamey's main airport in Niger early Thursday, resulting in exchanges of gunfire and explosions, with security forces deployed to repel the assault.
- The attackers breached airport security, but their identity remains unknown; soldiers were seen searching people on roads leading to the airport after the incident.
- This marks the second attack on Diori Hamani International Airport this year, following a January assault claimed by the Islamic State targeting Niger’s drone capabilities.
- Niger, governed by a military junta since a 2023 coup, faces ongoing jihadi violence affecting the Sahel region, including neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, also under military rule.
- The airport is a strategic site hosting a Nigerien air force base and the joint military headquarters of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, making it a symbolic and tactical target for militants.
