Kabul:
A Taliban suicide bomber detonated himself on Tuesday outside the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics control base near the Kabul International Airport, killing three foreign advisers and an Afghan interpreter, police said. The Kabul police said the bomber was on a motorcycle.
The nationalities of the foreign advisers were not immediately clear.
The explosion comes days after a militant attack near the airport, which is used by both civilians and the military. Six militants were killed in that attack. Though there were no security force or civilian casualties in that attack, Indian airliner SpiceJet suspended flights to Kabul.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihulllah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack. "In this successful attack up to 15 invader soldiers were killed or wounded and many vehicles were damaged." He added, "The attack on foreign intelligence forces in the centre of the capital left 15 soldiers dead." The Taliban usually exaggerate the impact of their attacks.
Kabul airport is home to a major operational base for NATO-led forces that have been fighting the Taliban for over 12 years. Security includes soldiers and police, guard towers, checkpoints and concrete barriers.
Militants often fire rockets near or into the airport complex, causing little damage, but frontal attacks on the heavily guarded facility are rare and represent an ambitious target for insurgents.