Afghan security forces became suspicious of the man and killed him before he was able to detonate his explosives. - File Photo

KABUL: Afghan troops have shot dead a would-be suicide bomber trying to approach the gate of a Nato base in the country's northwest.

Delbar Jan Arman, the governor of Badghis province, says Afghan security forces became suspicious of the man and killed him before he was able to detonate his explosives.

Arman says the attacker's explosives-packed vest detonated during the incident. He says no one else was harmed in the explosion.

Tuesday's incident occurred outside the base in Qalay-e-Naw, the capital of Badghis province, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) northwest of Kabul.

A mix of military and international civilians work at the Spanish-run base to improve provincial governance, services and infrastructure in the area.