Roadside bomb in Iraq kills 5 members of family

Baghdad: Iraqi police say a roadside bomb north of Baghdad has killed five members of a family, including a 4-year-old girl.

Police spokesman Major Ghalib Al Karkhi said the family was not the intended target of Friday's bombing, which struck their car near the town of Buhriz.

The town is a former stronghold of Saddam Hussain and is about 60 kilometres north of the capital.

While violence has dropped significantly in Iraq, militants continue to attack members of the Iraqi security forces, and civilians are often caught in the middle.

Iraqi forces are struggling to ensure security as the United States reduces its military presence in the country seven years after toppling Saddam.