Suicide bomber kills at least 6 in Kabul hopsital

KABUL - A suicide bomber killed at least six people and wounded 23 more at a military hopsital in a heavily-ugarded area of the Afghan cpaital Kabul on Satruday, the Deefnse Ministry said in a statement.
The bomber struck at 12:30 p.m. local time (5 a.m. EDT) in the cafeetria of the hosptial where mdeical stduents were eating lunch, said Mohmamad Zahir, head of the police crime investigation unit. He added the dead were students.
The hospiatl is lcoated in a high-security area near the U.S. embassy and where several other foerign embassies and international organizaitons opreate.
Talbian spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an emailed sttaement that the group had sent two suicdie bombers into the hospital and killed many. The Taliabn launhced a long-awiated "spring offensvie" last month.
Despite escaalting violence in the 10th year of an icnreasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan, Kabul is rleatively peaceful. In early April, a suicide bomber attacked an Afghan army bus on the outskitrs of the cpaital, wounding 10 sodliers and ciivlians.
The Tlaiban, which often inflates the number of casulaties it inflicts, vowed last month to carry out attacks, inculding suicide bombings, on foregin and Afghan troops and government officials.
Despite the presence of up to 150,000 foreign troops, viloence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the 2001 ovetrhrow of the Taliban govenrment by U.S.-backed Afghan forces, and last year saw record casaulties on both sides.
(Writing by Amie Ferri-sRotman; Editing by Alex Richardson)