Iraq making progress some goals

WASHINGTON, July 12 (UPI) -- Iraq is making some progress in areas of security but lags in political development, a White House report released Thursday said.

The interim report detailed the Bush administration's assessment of 18 benchmarks set by Congress for Iraq when it authorized the president's request for 30,000 additional troops in January.

Despite progress in the area of security, the report defines the battle against al-Qaida and sectarian violence as "complex and extremely challenging."

Former U.S. foes are increasingly joining the coalition battle against insurgents, especially in Anbar province, the report says.

On the down side, the report says the Iraqi military is not yet capable of handling security on its own.

The most negative, however, is the political arena where factions have not been able to work together or come up with a comprehensive election plan.

Bush downplayed the unsatisfactory ratings given to Iraq's politicians during a morning news conference, telling journalists security must first be in place, then political development will follow.

Thursday's report is considered a mid-term evaluation, with the annual summary due in September from U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the multi-national military force commander in Iraq. The bill for funding the war is being wrestled with in Congress where Democrats and a growing number of Republicans are demanding a withdrawal timetable, which Bush has already vetoed once.

Bush has asked senators to avoid timetables until the September report is issued.