BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials say a pair of car bombings in a Baghdad suburb has killed at least nine people. A police officer says the two explosive-laden cars went off simultaneously Monday in a commercial area of the Husseiniyah district in northeastern Baghdad. At least 20 people were wounded in that attack. A medical official the confirmed casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media. The attack comes as Iraqi government forces, backed by airstrikes from the US-led international coalition, are battling the Daesh (the so-called IS) militants to recapture the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad. The extremist group occupies large areas in northern and western Iraq captured during a lightning blitz last summer. — AP
