KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A roadside bomb hit a public bus in a restive province near the Afghan capital on Monday, killing at least nine passengers and raising the death toll from violence in the country to more than 100 so far this month, officials said.

So far, April has been the deadliest month this year for Afghan and foreign civilians and security forces, an ominous sign as the annual fighting season gets underway with improved weather. Fighting usually abates during the country’s harsh winter season.

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