Suicide bombers kill 9 south of Iraq's capital

Brig. Gen. Rick Uribe listens during an interview with The Associated Press in Irbil, 217 miles (350 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. In the interview Uribe, a senior U.S. military commander in Iraq, expressed confidence in Iraqi forces fighting to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants. Uribe said he agrees with the forecast given by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that it would take another three months to liberate Mosul, the last Iraqi urban center still in the hands of the extremist group. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

U.S. Army armoured vehicles travel in Bartella, around 19 miles (30 kilometers), from Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, Dec 31, 2016. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

Iraqi officials say a pair of suicide bombers detonated their explosives belts at a checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing nine people, including four members of the security forces.

The police and hospital officials said the Sunday attack near the holy Shiite city of Najaf also wounded 22.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants.

The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

It came one day after two suicide bombers killed at least 28 people at a Baghdad market.

That attack was claimed by the Islamic State group.

Baghdad has seen near-daily attacks blamed on Islamic militants since 2003.