Suicide car bomber kills 9 in northern city

? A suicide car bomber targeted the provincial police headquarters in Mosul on Monday, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens, police said. The attack underscored fears that Sunni insurgents are regrouping despite a U.S.-Iraqi offensive in the northern city.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, but suicide operations are commonly associated with al-Qaida in Iraq – the main target of U.S.-Iraqi military operations to clear the city 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

The U.S. military has said the terror network is on the run but retains the ability to conduct its trademark high-profile car bombings and suicide attacks.

Iraqi lawmakers said Monday they are stepping up negotiations on a draft law setting rules for provincial elections, due to begin in October. They warned that failure to reach agreement within the next two weeks may lead to a delay in the key vote to redistribute power among Iraq’s fractured parties.

The elections to choose councils for Iraq’s 18 provinces are seen as an important step in repairing the country’s sectarian rifts.