A defiant King Abdullah II told US officials on Feb. 3 that Jordan's determination to fight the Islamic State (IS) was greater than ever after the extremist group burned a Jordanian pilot alive.
Despite rumblings of discontent inside the kingdom against the US-led coalition, Abdullah met for several hours with key senators, even posing for press photos with them before heading to the White House. He told lawmakers that the widely distributed video of the brutal slaying would help bring the country together, according to members who were in the closed briefings.