Gunfire and explosions were heard at the airport in Niger's capital Niamey early Thursday, according to witnesses, and security forces had blocked off the area, residents said.

Gunfire erupted early on Thursday at the airport in Niger's capital, Niamey, residents told AFP, several months after a major jihadist attack at the facility.

An attack on the international airport in Niger's capital Thursday killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians, officials said, months after jihadists staged a large assault on…