IS-Sahel insurgents attack Tahoua airport hosting the Nigerien Air Force’s Bayraktar TB2 drone fleet

IS-Sahel insurgents attack Tahoua airport hosting the Nigerien Air Force’s Bayraktar TB2 drone fleet

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected fighters of the Islamic State in the Sahel (IS-Sahel) launched an attack on Tahoua Airport in western Niger early Monday, targeting a military air base hosting the Nigerien Air Force’s Bayraktar TB2 drone fleet.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the insurgents struck the facility in the early hours of Monday at about 1:30 am, triggering exchanges of gunfire around the air base located in Tahoua region.

The air base is considered a strategic installation for Niger’s counterterrorism operations, as it hosts the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used for surveillance and precision strikes against insurgent groups across the Sahel.

Details of the attack, including casualties or the extent of damage to military assets, were still unclear at the time of filing this report.

The incident comes less than two months after a similar assault by suspected IS-Sahel militants on a military air base in Niamey.

Such attacks reflect a shift in tactics by jihadist groups in the Sahel, increasingly focusing on strategic facilities including airports, military bases and drone installations.

IS-Sahel insurgents attack Tahoua airport hosting the Nigerien Air Force’s Bayraktar TB2 drone fleet