KABUL, Afghanistan

A least four civilians have been killed and 13 others wounded after a suicide bomber detonated his explosive near a convoy carrying U.S. forces in Afghanistan`s Nangarhar province.

U.S. troops were being transported near Nangarhar airport, which is used as a U.S. military base, about 150 kilometers east of the capital, Kabul, on Friday morning when the bomber attacked, said provincial police chief Fazel Ahmad Sherzad.

"Initial reports indicate that at least three civilians were killed and four others were wounded," Sherzad told the Anadolu Agency.

He did not disclose if any U.S. soldiers were killed.

The scene was cordoned off by U.S. forces and local police were not allowed to reach the site.

A doctor, who declined to be identified, told AA that four bodies and 13 injured civilians were received at a local provincial hospital.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they had inflicted heavy losses on American forces.

At least one U.S. soldier was killed while eight wounded on Wednesday in the same province after an Afghan army soldier opened fire on the provincial governor`s compound.