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Thirty-five people have been killed after gunmen struck Niger’s largest airport on Thursday, officials say – the second attack in less than five months.
Residents in the predominately Muslim country told the BBC they had just finished their morning prayers when explosions and gunshot sounds rang out from Diori Hamani international airport, located in the capital, Niamey.
The BBC reports that in the evening, Niger’s defence ministry said the fatalities comprised 22 assailants, 11 soldiers, and two civilians.
Niger has been fighting an Islamist insurgency for a decade and in January, an organisation linked to the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on the same airport.
No group has said it was responsible for Thursday’s attack.
The violence had settled by mid-morning and security forces have since launched a manhunt for the attackers.
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Media reports and witnesses said multiple attackers were detained.
Armed local residents joined the manhunt, though witnesses told the BBC that security personnel attempted to stop civilians getting involved.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “The attackers mixed in with the local population, so finding them was not easy. Civilians picked up machetes and sticks to defend themselves and to strike anyone they did not recognise who came their way.”
The airport vicinity remained locked down on Thursday afternoon, with security forces searching vehicles entering and leaving the area.
Diori Hamani international airport is one of Niger’s most sensitive security installations, serving as both a civilian aviation hub and a military base.
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