Dr. Mohammad al-Miyahi, dean of the al-Maamoun faculty, was stepping out of his car when he was struck by bullets fired from a silencer-equipped gun Tuesday, police told Kuwait's KUNA news agency.

As more insurgents are leaving Baghdad for other parts of the country, those remaining are increasingly targeting scientific and academic figures, the report said.

The situation in Baghdad was reflected in a Pentagon report to Congress Tuesday that cited "significant security progress, momentum in reconciliation at the local and provincial levels and economic progress," and which said high-profile bombing attacks had dropped by half since March.