An Iraqi senior army intelligence officer and three bodyguards have been killed in a suicide attack in the north of the country, police say, according to BBC News.

The attacker is believed to have detonated his explosives belt near the officer's home.

The bombing is the latest in a series of deadly attacks in Iraqi cities that have left scores of people dead since the beginning of the year. Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaeda have been blamed for much of the recent violence.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Although sectarian violence has decreased in the country since the height of the insurgency in 2006 and 2007, attacks are still common.

Earlier this month, at least 33 people were killed and about 100 injured in a spate of car bombings in mainly Shia areas of Iraq, local officials said.