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Africa North

Al Qaeda and IS Run Rampant in Niger: Africa File, June 25, 2026

2026-06-29

by Liam Karr and Alexandre Colas des Francs

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Niger. IS Sahel Province (ISSP) and al Qaeda’s Sahelian affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wa al Muslimeen (JNIM) separately launched two of their most significant attacks in Niger in years as they exacerbate the rapidly deteriorating security situation in western Niger, including around the Nigerien capital. The two rivals are battling for influence across West Africa, and the adversaries’ desire to outbid each other are likely at least a partial motivating factor in these major attacks.

ASSESSMENTS:
IS Sahel Province (ISSP) carried out one of its deadliest operations ever against Nigerien security forces as the IS group seeks to expand its rear support zones southward from the Mali-Niger border. ISSP conducted simultaneous, complex attacks on Nigerien military bases in Inates and Banibangou, near the Mali-Niger border, in the Tillabéri region on June 17.

[1] ISSP militants overran and looted both bases, killing at least 51 soldiers at Inates and 34 soldiers at Banibangou according to various Nigerien and international sources.

[2] ISSP released an official statement on June 24 in which it claimed to have killed at least 10 troops in Banibangou and 70 troops in Inates, while pro-Nigerien opposition sources claimed that the deaths at Inates and Banibangou reached 101 and 107 soldiers, respectively.

[3] ISSP also claimed to have destroyed 22 vehicles, seized 24 vehicles and various weapons, and torched both bases.[4]

Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wa al Muslimeen (JNIM) separately attacked the international airport near the Nigerien capital Niamey for the first time, highlighting the rapidly worsening insecurity around Niamey and threatening to further degrade critical Nigerien air capabilities.

Plainclothes JNIM commandos, including suicide bombers, attempted to infiltrate the Diori Hamani airport aboard taxis and trucks early in the morning of June 18.[16] Nigerien security forces at an outer checkpoint engaged the attackers and repelled the gunmen after several hours of fighting, which killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians.[17] JNIM claimed that the attack killed 17 Nigerien soldiers and destroyed two military aircraft, while the Nigerien defense ministry claimed that security forces killed 22 insurgents and arrested 20 others.[18] The airport is five miles from Niger’s Presidential Palace and contains Air Base 101, which hosts Russian Africa Corps soldiers, the Italian support mission for the Nigerien military, the headquarters of the Niger-Burkina Faso-Mali joint military force, and several important aircraft.[19]

More at the link

Posted by:badanov

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