| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Africa North | |
| Are drones, AI making it harder to fight armed groups in the Sahel? | |
| 2026-02-22 | |
By Shola Lawal The brazen attack on the international airport and nearby military airbase in Niamey, Niger’s capital, came overnight between January 28 and 29. Balls of orange fire flew across the sky as the Nigerien army attempted to respond while residents ducked for cover and whispered prayers, as shown in videos on social media. ISIL (ISIS) in Sahel Province, or ISSP – a Niger-based outfit earlier known as the ISIL affiliate in the Greater Sahara or ISGS – has since claimed responsibility and says it killed several soldiers, although the Nigerien army disputes this. Analysts say the daring attack shows ISSP’s growing confidence at a time when the swarm of armed groups operating across the troubled Sahel region in Western Africa is expanding its areas of operation with advanced technology. Many of its fighters had breached military drone hangars using RPGs and mortars, and managed to damage several aircraft and one civilian aeroplane, according to videos from the group. “This is unprecedented,” Heni Nsaibia, a senior analyst at the conflict monitoring think tank, ACLED, told Al Jazeera, noting that ISSP usually limits offences to rural areas and uses rudimentary weapons like AK-47s. “They are refining their attacks and becoming more experienced in guerrilla warfare. To be able to infiltrate and penetrate the capital speaks to itself that they have tactical strength and boldness,” he said. Although officially unconfirmed, conflict trackers suggest that ISSP may have deployed a drone in the assault, in what would mirror a region-wide trend that analysts say marks a dangerous escalation in the Sahel crisis. ISIL affiliates have used explosives-laden drones in rural attacks in Nigeria, but never in Niger. “We have videos showing there was nocturnal gunfire from the Nigerien air defence,” Nsaibia added. “It’s possible they detected drones [from ISIL] used for surveillance, but it’s only a hypothesis.” More at the link | |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2026-02-22 08:16 |