Nigeria recorded the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46% from 513 in 2024 to 750, placing it fourth in the Global Terrorism Index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger. Africa's most populous nation is grappling with a multifaceted security crisis as extremist groups such as Boko Haram and its offshoots attempt to carve out control of swathes of territory.
This was not random violence. This was a planned attack motivated by extremist ideology and inspired by a violent foreign terrorist organization. With this, she promptly raised the profile of both the suspects, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, and of ISIS itself. It hardly seemed to matter that no evidence has surfaced that directly ties these men to the larger movement.
Within two years, it had spread to every continent. Members - a lot of them teenagers - were finding kids as young as nine on Minecraft and Roblox. They'd befriend them, earn their trust, then trap them. They forced children to hurt themselves on camera. To hurt animals. To do things I'm not going to describe here. That kid from Texas is serving eighty years now. But 764 didn't stop. It splintered and kept growing.
The ISIL (ISIS) armed group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an air force base at Niger's main airport. The ISIL-affiliated Amaq News Agency reported on Friday that the group carried out a surprise and coordinated attack on the base at Diori Hamani International Airport near the capital, Niamey. It claimed the attack caused significant damage, without providing more details.
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
Abdoulaye Diop, the foreign minister of Mali, hosted a senior US official on Monday to chart a "new course" in relations between the United States and the junta-led nation. Nick Checker, who heads the US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, reaffirmed Washington's respect for Mali's sovereignty. Ahead of Checker's visit, the bureau posted on X that the United States also looked forward to "consulting with other governments in the region, including Burkina Faso and Niger, on shared security and economic interests."