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KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban claimed responsibility on Friday for the deadly shooting of three American private contractors at an airport in the Afghan capital.

U.S. officials said Thursday that the three contractors and one Afghan national were killed by an Afghan soldier on the military side of Kabul's international airport.

A spokesman for the Taliban told NBC News that the shooting was carried out by an "infiltrator" working at the airport who had been waiting for a long time to carry out the attack.

The shooting happened at close range in an Afghan air force hanger. The assailant was immediately shot dead, according to an Afghan security official on the civilian side of the airport.

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— Fazul Rahim