Gunfire, explosions hit Niamey airport in second attack this year
What's new: Witnesses said firing lasted about two hours, and residents reported troops repelled the assailants near the airport entrance.
Explosions and sustained gunfire struck the airport and military airbase in Niger's capital, Niamey, early Thursday in what a security source described as an apparent attack. Witnesses said the first blasts were heard around 6 a.m. local time and gunfire continued for roughly two hours as security forces sealed off the area. Residents quoted by the BBC said the army drove back the attackers and was pursuing those who fled after abandoning weapons. No group immediately claimed responsibility, and Niger's authorities had not commented. The same airport was attacked in January, when an Islamic State affiliate in the Sahel said it had targeted air command headquarters and drone assets.