The interim report of Bush's strategy to surge nearly 30,000 extra troops into the four-year war, came at a critical time in the political tussle over Iraq, with Bush under daily, withering attack.

The embattled president was due to defend his war strategy in a news conference at 10:31 am (1431 GMT).

The report found the Baghdad government had made satisfactory progress towards only eight of 18 benchmarks on political, security and military goals, set by the US Congress.

It revealed that efforts by Iraq to get its armed forces operating independently of US units -- a key goal of the administration's hopes to eventually cut US troop numbers, had made "unsatisfactory progress."

Among other recommendations, the report also said "the prerequisites for a successful militia disarmament program are not present," in Iraq.

The eagerly awaited report predates a more definitive assessment of the surge strategy in September by top US commander in Iraq General David Petraeus and US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker.

That study had been seen as the critical point for Bush's Iraq strategy, but leaked conclusions from the interim version have sent the confrontation between the Democratic-led Congress and Bush over the war to boiling point.

A senior US official said on condition of anonymity styled the interim report was merely a snapshot of the early stages of the operation announced in January.

"The report came out as you would expect an interim report to come out, with security indicators leading and political lagging behind," the official said.

"That's what you would expect because the strategy was designed to bring security first so that political accommodation could come later."

The House of Representatives was meanwhile due to vote later Thursday on a bill demanding the withdrawal of most combat troops from Iraq by April 1 next year, while the Senate plows through its own emotional debate over the war.

The redeployment would begin within 120 days and the president would be forced to report to Congress on why soldiers should stay in Iraq for limited purposes such as fighting terrorism or training Iraqi forces.