Jihadist group releases video it claims shows attack on Niamey airbase

The so-called Islamic State released new video on Sunday said to show its attack on an air force base in Niger’s capital Niamey.

The footage was aired by the Amaq News Agency, part of the jihadist group’s propaganda wing.

Four soldiers were injured and several aircraft damaged in Thursday’s assault on the international airport.

The video purports to show an explosion inside a hangar housing a helicopter and another aircraft on fire. Gunfire also damaged several passenger planes.

Niamey’s airport is a strategic hub that hosts military bases, the headquarters of the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali Joint Force, and a large uranium stockpile at the center of a dispute with French nuclear company Orano.

State television reported that government forces responded quickly to the assault early Thursday, killing 20 of the attackers and arresting 11 others.

Last year, al-Qaida- and IS-backed militants escalated their campaigns across the Sahel, threatening the stability of the region.

Niger was a key regional ally of the West until a 2023 military coup. The junta has since cut ties with France and turned to Russia for help battling insurgents.