Iraqi forces seen ‘stiffening’ resistance

WASHINGTON D.C.: Iraqi forces appear to be rallying and bolstering their defense of Baghdad in the face of Sunni extremists who have swept across the country’s north, the Pentagon said on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

“We also have reason to believe —certainly indications—that the Iraqi security forces are stiffening their resistance and their defense and are coalescing, particularly in and around Baghdad, and that’s encouraging,” spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.