Yemen's president removed a half brother of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday as head of the air force, replacing nearly 20 top officers but leaving Saleh's son, nephew and other allies in place as heads of important military units. The reshuffle came as al Qaeda militants, who have exploited instability during a year of protests against Saleh to boost their activities, launched two attacks against government sites.
Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who had served as Saleh's deputy, took power in February after standing as the only candidate in a presidential election, part of a deal negotiated by Yemen's Gulf neighbours for Saleh to step down after 33 years in power. State news agency Saba said Hadi appointed General Rashed Ali Nasser al-Jund as air force commander, replacing Saleh's half brother, General Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, who was made an assistant to the defence minister. Under the power transfer deal, Hadi is tasked with reunifying the army, which had split during the year-long uprising against Saleh's rule, with some units openly siding with protesters.
Neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and the United States both backed the transition deal, partly due to concerns over the expansion of al Qaeda's regional wing in a country next to major Red Sea oil shipping lanes. Saba said that a senior army officer loyal to dissident General Ali Mohsen, who broke away from Saleh after the protests began, was also replaced.
The reshuffle did not affect Brigadier General Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the ex-president's son and commander of the Republican Guards, or Saleh's nephew, Brigadier General Yehia Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, who heads the paramilitary Central Security Forces. Also replaced were the governors of four provinces, including that of Taiz, a staunch Saleh ally who led a bloody crackdown against protesters, and the governor of southern Abyan province, where al Qaeda's regional wing has seized swathes of territory.