Pentagon: Iraqi Insurgency Failing

(AP)  The Pentagon told Congress Thursday that Iraqi insurgents are failing to derail the move toward democracy but remain "capable, adaptable and intent" on carrying out lethal attacks aided by a continuing inflow of foreign terrorists.

Its 23-page report, the most comprehensive public assessment yet by the military establishment of progress in Iraq, was more than a week overdue. In it, the Pentagon cited progress on political, economic and security fronts. But it does not say how soon Iraqi security forces will be sufficiently trained to defend the war-torn country without the direct assistance of American troops.

Some Democrats were quick to criticize, saying the accounting fell short of helping the public understand when U.S. troops can leave.

"They missed an opportunity," said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense.

U.S. officers have developed a method of calculating the combat readiness of the approximately 76,700 Iraqi Army troops, but the Pentagon said it "should not and must not" publicly disclose specific data.

"The enemy's knowledge of such details would put both Iraqi and coalition forces at increased risk," the report said.

That information, along with details on various possible changes in the level of U.S. forces in Iraq next year, were included in an annex, classified as secret, along with the unclassified report delivered to Congress.

There currently are about 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The Pentagon report offered no estimate of when they could be withdrawn.

Democratic critics of Bush administration Iraq policy lashed out at the Pentagon for refusing to publicly release a detailed assessment of the readiness of Iraqi security forces.

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