Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate, carried out an armed assault, which it claimed was a suicide attack, on Diori Hamani International Airport and the adjacent Air Base 101 in Niamey on Thursday, killing 11 soldiers and two civilians.
#Niamey #Niger airport attack #GEOINT#Sahel #WestAfrica pic.twitter.com/9PRTDCwPQX
— AMANAR_ADVISOR (@amanar_advisor) June 18, 2026
Niger’s Defense Ministry confirmed in a televised statement that 22 attackers were killed, four wounded, and 20 suspects arrested. The ministry said security forces also seized RPG-7 launchers, AK-47 rifles, explosives, grenades, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
In a statement posted through its Az-Zallaqa Foundation media arm on Chirpwire, JNIM said it carried out the assault. Gunfire began at approximately 6 a.m. and lasted over two hours. According to AFP, attackers arrived at a checkpoint near the airport by taxi before encountering resistance.
One of the taxis used by #JNIM in the attack on #Niamey airport, neutralized near the customs concession in the immediate vicinity of the airport. pic.twitter.com/aT8sPooMaq
— AMANAR_ADVISOR (@amanar_advisor) June 18, 2026
African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf “strongly condemned” the assault and praised Nigerien forces whose actions “made it possible to repel the attack and secure the airport facilities.”
Thursday’s attack marks the second time in 2026 that a distinct jihadist network has targeted the complex. The Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) struck the same site on January 29, armed with drones, small arms, and mortars, wounding four soldiers.
The airport houses Air Base 101, headquarters of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a mutual defense body formed by Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Russian forces and Niger’s drone unit also operate there, and uranium stocks Niger seeks to sell are stored on the premises.
“The symbolism of the airport as headquarters for AES will drive intent by militants to target it,” said Beverly Ochieng, a senior security analyst at Control Risks.
By mid-morning, gunfire had ceased and security forces launched a manhunt for remaining attackers. Since January, Niger extended the airport’s perimeter fence, installed more than 350 surveillance cameras, and demolished nearby neighborhoods authorities said posed a terrorist risk.
