ISIL claims responsibility for Niger airport attack

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Al Jazeera StaffJanuary 30, 2026 at 08:24 PM

AI Summary

short article 2 min

ISIL (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for an attack on an air force base at Diori Hamani International Airport near Niamey, Niger, which occurred shortly after midnight on Thursday. The ISIL-affiliated Amaq News Agency reported the group carried out a "surprise and coordinated attack" causing "significant damage." Niger's military government, which took power in a 2023 coup, stated that security forces killed 20 attackers, while four soldiers were wounded. The attack comes as Niger's authorities have been battling ISIL affiliates and al-Qaeda-linked groups in the west and southeast of the country for a decade. Military ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani thanked Russian troops stationed at the base for their support and accused France, Benin, and Ivory Coast of sponsoring the attack, allegations Benin has rejected.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji 30% Russia 40% Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) 50% Niamey 50% Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) 60% Diori Hamani International Airport 60% France ×260% Benin ×360% Ivory Coast ×260% Abdourahamane Tiani ×270% Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) ×490% Niger ×690%

Keywords

isil 100% attack 90% niger 90% airport attack 80% military government 70% terrorism 60% military support 50% sahel 50% abdourahamane tiani 40% islamic state 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Niger

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

isil attack niger airport attack military government terrorism military support sahel abdourahamane tiani islamic state

Explore Full Topic Graph