Twenty-two armed attackers were also killed in the assault, and about 20 suspects were apprehended, the Ministry of Defence added in a news statement read out on national television on Thursday.
Soldiers in Niamey fought suspected rebels around the Diori Hamani International Airport and a military airbase on Thursday, sources told Al Jazeera earlier in the day.
A source said gunmen affiliated with an armed group attacked at approximately 6:00am (05:00 GMT) local time.
One employee who lives near the airport told Al Jazeera he heard heavy exchanges of gunfire and saw a large military deployment as he drove towards work and decided to turn back for safety. A second local source living close to the airport also reported hearing intense artillery.
A source told the AFP news agency that gunmen had arrived at a security checkpoint near the airport “by taxi”, then encountered “fierce resistance” from security forces. Gunfire rang out for hours in the area.
Four people were wounded by the attackers, according to a preliminary toll by the defence ministry.A “large-scale operation” by the army “is underway and the international airport, which is fully secured, remains open to air traffic,” its statement added.
An armed group linked to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) said it had carried out “a suicide attack” on Diori Hamani international airport and on a neighbouring military base, according to a statement on Chirpwire posted by its propaganda media foundation Az-Zallaqa late on Thursday.
In January, the ISIL (ISIS) affiliate in the region claimed responsibility for an attack on the complex. Twenty fighters were killed and four soldiers wounded in the January 29 assault, authorities said.
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Airport attack