LONDON--Continuing violence in Fallujah, Iraq is forcing Church aid agencies to pull out, according to a report from the Ekklesia group.

The Christian Peacemaker Teams who recently withdrew from Iraq reportedly blamed the U.S. and Coalition Forces in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq for "extremely aggressive" actions that had put all internationals at risk.

One Iraqi official said the resolution in Fallujah will pave the way for a similar outcome throughout Iraq.

"I think if we're able to solve Fallujah peacefully, other cities in Iraq will fall into place fairly quickly," said Saif Rahman, an adviser to Hachem Hassani, a Sunni Muslim who represented the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council in cease-fire negotiations.

"If we solve Fallujah militarily, I think we're looking at the beginning of a downward spiral in Iraq that we've already had a taste of in the last few weeks," Rahman said.

That spiral has forced Church aid agencies to reconsider their presence in the country.

"The hostage taking in Iraq, combined with an escalation of hostilities in general, have compelled DanChurchAid (DCA) to seriously reconsider its international presence in Iraq," said DCA's Relief Coordinator, Lennart Skov-Hansen. The organization is in Basra repairing water and sanitation.

Skov-Hansen said he does not expect the situation to improve much before July 1, when the Coalition Force hands the government over to the Iraqi people, so DCA will most likely evacuate.

International Orthodox Christian Charities however continues to work in Iraq, but without its one international staff member, who was reportedly pulled out temporarily from Baghdad due to the deteriorating security situation.

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) also reported that all foreign staff based in Basra or Baghdad were temporarily withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the Middle East Council of Churches maintains its presence in Iraq and Diakonie Austria reports that its school construction program continues in the As Hillah area and should be completed by the end of May.