"They left this morning at 8.30 am (0530 GMT), two trucks filled with medical supplies, water bladders and blankets," Tamara al-Rifai told AFP.

The supplies had been prepositioned in Kuwait prior to the war, she said.

"We were waiting for indications from our team to send them."

The supplies are destined for hospitals in the southern city that are dealing with the war wounded, Rifai said.

The next load of supplies will leave once the ICRC team in southern Iraq informs its counterparts in Kuwait of what is required.

"They evaluate and send lists, according to their specifications," she said.

Coalition forces and Iraqi security authorities operating in the area have given the ICRC security guarantees for its trucks to enter the area. Basra is still not under coalition control.

An estimated 1,000 Iraqi militiamen are still holding out in the city, Iraq's second largest.

SPACE.WIRE