ISIS Claims Responsibility for Deadly Attack on Niamey International Airport

ISIS claimed responsibility on Friday for the bloody attack on Niamey International Airport, the capital of Niger. The assault began on Wednesday night and continued until Thursday morning. According to international media, the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors armed groups worldwide, published the statement. In the statement, ISIS described the attack as “surprising and coordinated,” claiming to have inflicted “heavy damages,” but provided no specific details. Niger’s Ministry of Defense reported that the attackers arrived at the airport vicinity on motorcycles and initiated clashes with gunfire and explosions. The ministry said security forces quickly contained the attack and pushed back the assailants. Official information states that four Nigerien soldiers were wounded during the clashes. Security officials also reported that 20 attackers were killed and 11 others injured, although Reuters noted it has not independently verified these figures. The Ministry of Defense added that the attack caused a fire in an ammunition depot inside the airport and damaged several civilian aircraft. Meanwhile, Abdourahman Tiani, head of Niger’s ruling military council, accused France, Benin, and Ivory Coast of involvement in the attack and spoke of retaliatory measures. Reports indicate that ISIS’s regional branch has carried out multiple deadly attacks in Niger in recent months, including an assault in the Tillabéri area in September and the kidnapping of an American pilot in October.