Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq     

    WASHINGTON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Defense Department warned Monday in a quarterly report that the Iraq security situation gains remain "fragile, reversible and uneven."

    The report said all major violence indicators fell by between 40 to 80 percent from the "pre-surge level" and total security incidents have fallen to their lowest level in over four years.

    It also touted the successes in building the Iraqi security forces who are fighting Shiite insurgents alongside U.S. troops.

    Although "the security, political and economic trends in Iraq continue to be positive," they remain "fragile, reversible and uneven," the report said.

    "Recent events in Basra, Sadr City and elsewhere have generated new challenges and opportunities for the future," it said, adding that the Iraqi units are still dependent heavily on the U.S. and other coalition forces.

    According to a report by the USA Today Monday, roadside bomb attacks on the Iraq-based U.S. troops declined to 11 in May from 92 in the same month last year, nearly 90 percent down.

    Several factors were cited by the newspaper to explain the decline in attacks and fatalities. These included the deployment of almost 7,000 heavily armored mine-resistant and ambush-protected vehicles in Iraq last year, the assistance of Iraqi local security forces in providing intelligence on roadside bombs, and improved surveillance brought by new security cameras that could see bomb builders up to 8 kilometers away.

    Another report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released Monday also lamented the "volatile and dangerous" security situation in Iraq and many unmet goals on security and political fronts despite reduced violence in recent months.

    The Iraq war, launched in 2003, has consumed billions of U.S. taxpayers' dollars and at least 4,104 U.S. troops' lives. It was also cited as the main reason for the country's economic woes and deteriorated international image.