The attack began at dawn on Thursday when the armed group opened fire at the airport entrance after arriving by taxi.
The ensuing fighting lasted for hours, according to witnesses. Several members of the armed group were reportedly shot dead.
Later, Niger's Minister of Defense announced that soldiers had died in the fighting and that civilians had also been killed.
Niger has been ruled by a military junta for three years. Islamist groups have long waged an armed struggle, and the fighting has intensified recently.
