Insurgents killed five members of President Jalal Talabani's security team in a roadside bomb attack near the northern city of Kirkuk, a source from Talabani's party said on Saturday.
Talabani is currently out of Iraq on an official visit to France, and so was in no danger in the attack.
A source from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the province of Sulaimaniyah told AFP that the attack took place on Friday night near Adhaim mountains, on the road between Baghdad and the oil city of Kirkuk.
"Last night when a force from the presidential brigade was passing on the main road between Kirkuk and Udhaym, an explosive device went off and struck one of the vehicles, killing five of the presidential guards," he said.