Pentagon plays down Iraq report to Congress

The Pentagon sought to dampen expectations Monday over a report to the US Congress on Iraq, saying it was too early to tell whether its "surge" strategy in Iraq is working. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the report due July 15 would be "a snapshot that is very much at the front end of the surge operation."
"And I don't think anyone would expect all the benchmarks to be made or achieved at the front end of the surge operations," he said. Whitman would not say whether any benchmarks established by Congress have been met.
The administration has come under intensifying pressure from Republicans as well as Democrats to begin withdrawing US combat forces from Iraq amid rising US casualties and little sign of a turnaround. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday abruptly suspended a long-planned trip to Central and South America to attend policy meetings as the administration prepares the interim report to Congress.