AMMAN, Nov. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Jordanian King Abdullah II asked the head of national security Maaruf Bakhit on Thursday to set up a new cabinet, government sources said.

    The sources said King Abdullah made the decision to form a new government after accepting the resignation of Prime Minister Adnan Badran.

    The move came following triple suicide bomb attacks hit three luxury hotels in the Jordanian capital Amman on Nov. 9 which killed 60 people and wounded around 100.

    Bakhit, a former ambassador to Israel, was appointed as head of national security last week.

    The outgoing Badran, who assumed the post of premiership in April, was a US-educated academic. His cabinet has been under mounting pressure to carry out reforms. Enditem