to meat any of the set benchmarks, the Pentagon said in a new report.

"The aggregate level of violence in Iraq remained relatively unchanged during this reporting period," said the quarterly assessment of security conditions in Iraq cited by The New York Times on Thursday, June 14.

The first comprehensive statistical overview of the new military strategy admitted that attacks have only shifted away from Baghdad and Anbar, where thousands of additional US troops have been deployed.

Violence "has increased in most provinces, particularly in the outlying areas of Baghdad province and Diyala and Ninewa provinces."

The 46-page report said the average civilian casualties rose to more than 100 a day, a record level, while suicide attacks more than doubled across the country.

It noted that US troops are increasingly being attacked by deadly hidden bombs, with such attacks reaching an all-time high in April.

The Pentagon is required to report to Congress in July its initial assessment of the surge ordered in February by President George Bush to help stabilize Iraq.

A US military assessment concluded in May that American troops were only able to control fewer than one-third of Baghdad's neighborhoods despite the deployment of the additional 28,0000 troops.

Maj. Gen. James E. Simmons, deputy commander for operations in Iraq, has also admitted that attacks across Iraq are growing more lethal and sophisticated.

With 127 troops killed, May proved to be the third-deadliest month for US troops since the 2003 invasion.

The Pentagon report also reflects growing frustration with the failure of the Shiite-led government of Nuri al-Maliki to meet political benchmarks set by the Congress.

"To date, operations in Baghdad indicate that Iraqi government delivery on these commitments has been uneven."

It accused the government of breaching a pledge it made in January not to allow political interference in the security crackdown.

"There have been reports of political involvement by some leaders in tactical and operational decisions that bypass the standard chain of (military) command."

The Pentagon also said Iraqi leaders failed to reach agreements on proposed laws, like measures apportioning oil revenue and setting a timetable for new provincial elections.

"Reaching consensus among a wide array of political factions with coming agendas has proven difficult, and efforts to pass this legislation are progressing more slowly than desired."

Top Congressional Democrats sent a letter to Bush to coincide with the Pentagon assessment, urging him to reconsider his Iraq policy.

"The escalation has failed to produce the intended results," wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

They insisted that the troops surge "has had little impact in curbing violence or fostering political reconciliation."

The Democratic leaders are proposing a new legislation to "limit the US mission in Iraq, begin the phased redeployment of US forces, and bring the war to a responsible end."

Bush has forced his anti-war Democratic foes to write off withdrawal timelines from a 100-billion-dollar emergency war funding budget few weeks ago.

The Iraq war has grown increasingly unpopular in the US, with polls showing that a majority of Americans believe the invasion was Bush's gravest mistake.

AMSI Net- Islam Online