BAGHDAD: A car bomb outside a cafe in a town north of Baghdad has killed at least eight people, Iraqi authorities said.

Police officials said the explosion Monday in the town of Buhriz, about 60 kilometres north of the capital, also wounded some 20 people.

A hospital official confirmed the casualty figures.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media.

Insurgent groups frequently target civilians in cafes and public areas in an attempt to undermine confidence in the government and stir up Iraq's already simmering sectarian tensions.

Monday's attacks came a day after a series of bombings in and around Baghdad killed at least 39 people.