Click to see full-size image.
ISIS has shared footage showing the destruction of several warplanes during its recent devastating attack on Diori Hamani International Airport near the Nigerien capital, Niamey.
The Nigerien Ministry of Defense said in a statement that terrorists launched a 30-minute assault on Air Base 101 within the premises of the airport shortly after midnight on January 29.
During the battle, 20 terrorists were killed and at least 11 others were captured, according to the ministry, which also acknowledged that the attack, carried out by terrorists on motorcycles, left four soldiers wounded and damaged equipment, including an ammunition stock which caught fire.
Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani later told national television that the swift response of Nigerian troops and their “Russian partners” led to the “complete routing of the attackers.”
“Some were neutralized on the spot. Others were neutralized as they fled in panic,” he added.
Tchiani named the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast as “sponsors” of the attackers, warning that “they should now prepare to listen to us roar.”
ISIS claimed responsibility via a statement released by its news agency, Amaq, the very next day, saying that it carried out a “surprise and coordinated attack”.
In addition to Air Base 101, the airport, located about ten kilometres from the presidential palace in Niamey, hosts headquarters of the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali Joint Force. It is also home to a large uranium stockpile at the centre of a nationalisation dispute with French state-affiliated nuclear company Orano.
Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali joined forces in the Alliance of Sahel States, turning away from France, and pivoting towards Russia and to some extent Turkey following a series of military coups.
On February 2, Amaq released a video and a few photos of the attack, revealing that its fighters destroyed three surveillance aircraft, an Austrian-made DA42 M and two American-made C-208, a Turkish-made TAI Hürkuş-B light attack aircraft, and a Russian-made Mi-171Sh transport and assault helicopter at Air Base 101. The footage also shows the terrorists inside the civilian section of the airport.
Niger has been fighting ISIS affiliate Islamic State in the Sahel and the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims in the west and southeast of the country for a decade.
The latest attack on Diori Hamani International Airport was unprecedented. It is highly unlikely that ISIS planned and carried out the attack without external support.
What Tchiani stated may be more than political accusations, especially considering that one of the terrorists captured during the attack is reported to be a French citizen.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
make extra profit every week… this is a great part-time job for everyone… best part about it is that you can work from your home and earn from 100-2000 dollars each week … start today and have your first payment at the end of the week.
.…………………………… https://psee.io/8jqu9r