Iraqi officials: Suicide bombings in Iraqi capital kill 18

BAGHDAD (AP) - Two large bombings in Shiite-majority neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital killed at least 18 people Saturday.

The larger attack took place in the Kadhimiya neighborhood in Baghdad, where police said a suicide bomber set off his explosives-laden vest at an Iraqi police checkpoint. At least 11 people were killed in the attack, including at least four civilians, while more than 36 people were wounded.

In the second attack, police said a suicide bomber tore through a busy street in Baghdad's al-Horreya district, killing seven people and wounding 25.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

No one immediately claimed the attack, but the Islamic State group, which controls about a third of Iraq and Syria, has claimed several previous attacks targeting Iraqi security forces and the country's Shiite majority.

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Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj in Baghdad contributed to this report.