The Iraqi Defense Ministry confirmed on Friday that Islamic State (IS) militants are now only eight miles away from Baghdad's international airport and have moved till Abu Ghraib.
According to the Washington Times, the advance of the terrorist army comes just one day after a suicide bomber detonated a car at a police checkpoint 35 miles outside the capital.
A number of policemen were killed and 11 were injured in the blast in Baqouba, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Iraqi officer said that the U.S. airstrikes were helping in creating a buffer zone for IS militants but the army's efforts remain unclear.
Around 60,000 troops have been tasked with defending Baghdad but the troop in the western part of the capital had performed poorly.