DHAKA: A Taliban suicide bomber dressed as a laborer blew himself up at the NATO airbase at Bagram north of the Afghan capital Kabul, killing four Americans and wounding at least 17 people.

Two US military service members and two US contractors were killed on Saturday, and 16 other US service members were wounded, along with a Polish soldier who was part of the NATO mission, reports the Al Jazeera.

“For those who carried out this attack, my message is simple: ‘we will not be deterred in our mission to protect our homeland and help Afghanistan secure its own future,’” US defence chief Ashton Carter said in a statement.

The explosion struck at dawn on Saturday inside the heavily fortified Bagram based as the Taliban steps up attacks on Western targets before the onset of winter, when fighting usually ebbs.

Waheed Sediqqi, spokesman for the Parwan provincial governor, said the bomber managed to enter the heavily protected site and was standing in a queue with Afghan laborers when he detonated a suicide vest.

Bagram Airfield, close to Kabul, has frequently come under attack by Taliban fighters.

Al Jazeera’s Abdullah Shahood, reporting from Kabul, said the base is in a heavily guarded area where people only with exclusive access can enter.

“An Afghan police official told us that the person who got in with the explosives must be a dual citizen and someone who has an access pass and is trusted to go without escort,” he said.

BDST: 0858 HRS, NOV 13, 2016
BD