US Bagram airbase bomber was 'an employee' and ex-Taliban

A suicide bomber who killed four people inside the largest US military base in Afghanistan was a former Taliban member working there, according to the BBC.

The BBC cited district governor Haji Abdul Shokor Qudosi, who said that Qari Enayatullah had joined the peace process in 2008.

On Saturday, four Americans were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Bagram Airfield, the largest US base in Afghanistan.

Two of those killed were service members, and two were contractors, according to US Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

The explosion also wounded 16 other US service members and one Polish soldier participating in the NATO mission, Carter said in a statement.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a tweet praising the "strong attack" on Bagram Airfield.

It is not known what job Enayatullah did at Bagram or how long he had been there. He was among Afghan labourers reporting for duty when he detonated his vest.

The suspect's home was raided and two of his relatives were detained by Afghan security forces as investigations continue, the BBC reported.

In the wake of the attack, and another on a German Consulate two days earlier, the US Embassy in Afghanistan decided to close its doors on Sunday "as a temporary precautionary measure".