Niger's security apparatus has begun a search for the attackers who attacked the airport of the capital, Niamey, on Thursday, killing at least 11 soldiers and two civilians.
The group, linked to Al-Qaeda, claimed the airport attack that also left twenty-two of them killed in the process in a raid at the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey.
**"**A large-scale operation by the defence and security forces to track down and neutralise the remaining elements is underway. Niamey's Diori Hamani International Airport, which is fully secure, remains open to air traffic," a military statement read.
Gunfire erupted early in the morning and rang out for hours near the airport, where a large military presence was later deployed, residents said.
In the evening, a brief statement from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, or JNIM using its Arabic acronym, said it had carried out "a suicide attack" on the airport and on a neighbouring military base.
