US Won’t be Deterred in Assisting Afghanistan: Ashton Carter

In an unprecedented attack, a suicide bomber killed four Americans and wounded 17 other people Saturday morning inside Bagram air base in Kabul.

US Defense Secretary, Ash Carter said in a statement that two U.S. service members and two U.S. contractors working at Bagram Air Field were killed by “an apparent suicide bomber.”

The explosion wounded 16 other U.S. service members and one Polish soldier at the base, Carter said.

“For those who carried out this attack, my message is simple,” Carter said. “We will not be deterred in our mission to protect our homeland and help Afghanistan secure its own future.”

The Taliban took responsibility for the blast and described it as a suicide bombing that had been planned for four months.

The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has closed following deadly attack one day later.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry condemned the “abhorrent and cowardly” suicide bombing and said, ” “Our mission in Afghanistan will not be deterred by these individual acts, it’s that simple.”

“So the sooner people realize there’s a better way to resolve differences, the sooner the world will be able to move more effectively in a better direction.”

Kerry said the attack “underscores what we are all fighting for… stability, peace and the ability for people to live with tolerance and different points of view”.

Since Bagram was opened for U.S. troops and aircraft in late 2001, there has never been a suicide bombing within the base, and it is unclear how the attacker or the explosive device could have entered the facility.