Bahrain Ready to Back Jordan Fight against IS

Bahrain's ruler has told his Jordanian counterpart that he is ready to assist the kingdom in its fight against the Islamic State group, the royal palace in Amman said Monday.

King Hamad of Bahrain, quoted in a palace statement, told King Abdullah II that he was "proud to provide all the help Jordan needs to combat terrorism and protect Islam from Daesh (IS)."

Talks between the two monarchs in Amman on Monday focused on reinforcing military cooperation between their countries, notably their air forces, the statement said.

Jordan has vowed to intensify its air strikes against IS as part of a U.S.-led coalition after the jihadists burned alive one of its pilots captured in December when his F-16 fighter jet went down over Syria.

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday deployed a squadron of F-16s in Jordan to support Amman's campaign against the extremists, who seized large parts of Iraq and Syria last year.