Suicide attack slows Iraq’s Ramadi fight

A suicide attack has all the more slowed Iraq's fight to regain the city of Ramadi from Islamic State (IS) jihadists. The recent suicide bombing killed 37 people, who were mostly policemen, and wounded 30 others.

A report says a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle that was filled with explosives at a police base in Salaheddin province on Monday. Police officers were quoted as saying that the suicide bomber used a tank going to the police station situated between Samarra and Tharthar Lake, northwest of the capital of Baghdad. The said base is part of a military operation that intends to cut off IS' power lines in Anbar province, western Iraq. This is in response to IS fighters' capture of the city of Ramadi last May 17 that left Iraqi soldiers fleeing.

Despite counterattacks, Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi admits truck bombs are making it hard for troops to enter the city. The jihadists have done several attacks in the past including the seizure of armaments, dreadful armoured military vehicles, and ammunitions from retreating Iraq soldiers last year.

Al-Abadi is on his way to Paris on Tuesday for a meeting with US-led coalition members who provide training and weaponry to Iraqi soldiers. The coalition meeting will tackle on how to deal with the crisis since IS started attacking on June of last year.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond meanwhile believes that the fight against the IS is not a failure, although he says it may continue until 5 years. In a report, he added that it would be easier to destroy the organization itself than IS' ideology.

Meanwhile, a report quoted the United Nations as saying that 2.9 million residents have been displaced since the offenses in Iraq started in 2014 while almost four times the said figures have also become homeless in Syria starting four years ago.

Aside from attacks in Iraq, IS jihadists have also seized some territories in Syria.