In a message addressed to Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb, the king requested the launch "of a national campaign to assist the Iraqi people," the statement said,

The government, Abdullah said, must quickly send "food and medical aid to the brethren Iraqi people and coordinate these dispatches with the Iraqi ambassador in Jordan," the statement added.

The call was issued as Baghdad fell into the hands of US-British coalition forces, virtually sealing the downfall of President Saddam Hussein's regime.

SPACE.WIRE