Two car bombs kill 14 at Sunni tribal meeting

? Twin car bombs targeted a meeting of U.S.-allied Sunni tribal leaders Monday in Baghdad, killing at least 14 and wounding 45, a military spokesman said.

A dense cloud of black smoke filled the air as firefighters hosed down dozens of charred vehicles, with flames shooting from the back of one pickup truck.

The attack took place near the heavily fortified offices of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the country’s largest Shiite party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, or SIIC.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was visiting Baghdad, offered his first endorsement for the idea of pausing the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq this summer, which some fear could result in giving up some of the security gains of recent months.