King Abdullah briefed by top commanders on strikes against IS

Jordanian protesters hold up pictures of Jordanian King Abdullah and Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh, during a rally in Amman to show their loyalty to the King and against the Islamic State, February 5, 2015. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

AMMAN (Reuters) - Top military commanders briefed Jordan's King Abdullah on Thursday on air strikes launched against Islamic State in response to the group's killing of a captured Jordanian pilot, state television said. "His Majesty expressed his pride in the huge efforts undertaken by the armed forces to ensure the stability of the country," state television said. The Jordanian military earlier announced it had undertaken air strikes in territory controlled by Islamic State in northeastern Syria which security officials said focused on the outskirts of the city of al-Raqqa, the militants' stronghold. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; editing by Andrew Roche)