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Explosions and gunshots were heard coming from the airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital, residents told the BBC.
“I heard the first gunshots at 06:00 (05:00 local time) while I was at the mosque. But the current situation is under control,” one person said.
The gunfire, which lasted two hours, came from the entrance to the airport, a witness told the AFP news agency.
Niger has been fighting a militant Islamist insurgency for a decade and in January suspected jihadists launched attack on same airport. Like its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger is ruled by a military junta that came to power in part because of its inability to deal with violence.
Residents told the BBC that Thursday’s attack was repelled by the army, which is now tracking the fleeing attackers who are believed to have abandoned their weapons.
Authorities have not yet commented and no group has claimed responsibility. But an affiliate of the Islamic State group said it carried out the January attack.
Find out more about Niger from the BBC:
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