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8 Nov, 2018 08:54

Yemen president names new defense chiefs as govt forces continue assault on key port

Yemen’s President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi has replaced the defense minister and the army chief of staff, as government forces press ahead with a five-month assault on the rebel-held port of Hodeida. The president on Thursday named Mohammad al-Maqdashi as defense minister to replace Mahmoud al-Subaihi who has been detained by the rebels for years, according to the government-run Saba news agency. Hadi had not replaced the detained minister since 2014, when the rebels overran the capital Sanaa. The naming of a replacement comes days after neutral Oman intervened in an attempt to secure Subaihi’s release. Hadi also named Abdullah al-Nakhii as chief of staff. A week of intense fighting for Hodeida has left hundreds of combatants dead as government forces backed by the Arab coalition advance into the rebel-held port city, AFP reports.