"It [embassy] took an extremely circumscribed view," the report said.
"Iraq remains an extraordinarily dangerous place to work," Stuart Bowen,
the special inspector-general, said. "It is less safe, in my judgment, than
12 months ago."
In a quarterly report for Congress released on July 30, Bowen said the
U.S. military in Iraq was coming under Iranian-sponsored rocket strikes,
particularly in Baghdad. The report said Al Qaida and other militias were
targeting Iraq's energy infrastructure, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Notwithstanding these long-term trends, a series of mass-casualty
attacks this quarter underscored the tenuous nature of the overall security
situation," the report said.
The U.S. military has agreed with much of the data in the latest report.
In June, 14 U.S. soldiers were killed in attack in Iraq, the bloodiest
month since April 2009. Another five American troops died in July.
"Although much of the remaining violence continues to be the work of
terrorist groups attempting to disrupt the GOI [government in Iraq], DoD
[Department of Defense] reported that violent crimes — such as armed
robberies, assassinations, and kidnappings — are exacerbated by easy access
to arms and ammunition, noting that these violent activities are not always
related to terrorism," the report said.
The report said insurgency groups were targeting Baghdad in 2011.
Baghdad has absorbed more than three times the violence reported in Kirkuk
and Mosul, the latter of which underwent a slight improvement in security.
"Whether they are trends or aberrations, these events remain cause for
concern as the United States prepares to withdraw all military forces by
December 31, 2011," the report said.
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