Commander of the Republican Guards at the Nahm front, east of Sanaa, Colonel Ali Abdullah Muqaiteb and a number of soldiers have defected from militias and joined the armed forces of the legitimate government of Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi, media sources said according to Al-Arabiya news channel.

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Prominent military leader’s defection from the Republican Guards’ units affiliated with ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh have come at a time when the legitimate government’s forces made advances in the Nahm front.

According to the report, legitimate government troops, aided by the coalition’s air force, shelled militias’ posts and reinforcements and seized control of a number of posts, including those in Jabal Qurn and Daa, after militias escaped.

*This article also appears in Arabic on AlArabiya.net.

Last Update: Tuesday, 27 December 2016 KSA 12:11 - GMT 09:11