Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's wife narrowly escaped death on Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded near her convoy in central Baghdad, the president's office said.

She was not hurt but four bodyguards were wounded, the president's office said in a statement.

"One of the vehicles of Ms Hero Ibrahim's convoy hit an improvised explosive device in the road this morning," the statement said. "She was heading to the National Theatre to attend a cultural festival."

Police said two Iraqi soldiers and two civilians were wounded in the attack, which they said targeted a military convoy.

Roadside bombs are a favourite tactic of a number of militia and insurgent groups in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.

Iraq has seen a surge in violence over the past month, mainly involving clashes pitting Shi'ite militias against U.S. and government troops in Baghdad and the south.

But Sunni Arab al Qaeda has also struck with a number of large suicide bombings in the north.