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Saleh relative quits Yemen Army post
 SANAA: A nephew of former Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh has resigned from his post as commander of an elite military unit, officials said yesterday, part of a drive by the country's new US-allied government to unite its army in order to fight Al-Qaeda.UN envoy Jamal Benomar told Reuters that Tariq Saleh, who earlier headed the Presidential Guard, had relinquished his new post as head of the 3rd Republican Guard brigade. The unit is one of the strongest and best-equipped brigades in the military and overlooks the capital Sanaa. "Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Halili has taken over from Tariq and is now fully in charge of the 3rd Brigade," a senior Yemeni official said, confirming the resignation. Defense Ministry officials said Tariq Saleh had retired and would not be taking other military posts. His departure is a success for President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who has been trying to draw a line under more than a year of political turmoil in Yemen by distancing his predecessor's relatives from power and restructuring the army. He replaced nearly 20 officers last month, including Air force Chief Mohammed Saleh Al-Ahmar, the former president's half-brother. Ahmar had initially refused to step down, besieging the capital's airport and grounding all flights in protest at the decision to demote him. He later accepted his new post as assistant to the defense minister. Benomar, who helped push through the plan under which Saleh left office after more than a year of popular unrest, persuaded the former president to secure his half-brother's compliance with Hadi's directive, a government official has said. Saleh's son Ahmed and nephew Yahya remain in place as heads of other important military units. Posted by: Steve White 2012-05-06 |
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