Hussein Khairan
Minister of Defence of Yemen
Disputed
In office
23 March 2015 – 28 November 2016*
Acting: 23 March 2015 – 4 October 2016
PresidentMohammed Ali al-Houthi
Saleh Ali al-Sammad
Prime MinisterTalal Aklan (Acting)
Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour
Preceded byMahmoud al-Subaihi
Succeeded byMohamed al-Atifi
Personal details
Born1952-1953
Arhab District, Sana'a Governorate
Military service
Allegiance Yemen
Branch/service Yemen Army
RankMajor general[1]
Unit1st Marine Infantry Division
Commands1st Marine Infantry Division 1993-2014
*Khairan's term has been disputed by Mahmoud al-Subaihi.

Hussein Nagi Khairan (Arabic: حسين ناجي خيران, romanized: Ḥusayn Nājī Khyrān) is a Yemeni military officer. Until November 2016, he served as defense minister for the Houthi-appointed government of Yemen, having been appointed on 22 March 2015, after the defection of Mahmoud al-Subaihi to the internationally recognised government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in Aden. According to a Houthi political official, Khairan's appointment placed him in direct command of all military units except for those loyal to Hadi.[2] He reportedly took charge of the military offensive against Hadi's holdouts in southern Yemen.[1]

Biography

Khairan previously served from 1993 to 2014 as commander of the 1st Marine Infantry Brigade in Socotra.[2] In December 2014, Hadi named him as chief of staff of the Yemen Army.[3] However, the Houthi militants that occupied Sana'a earlier that year blocked him from entering the defense ministry.[4] Hadi officially fired Khairan as army chief of staff on 5 April, weeks after he switched sides to join the Houthis' ranks.[5]

He was reported to have been killed on October 8, 2016, during the Sanaa Funeral Bombing.[6][7] 

His death was then denied.

On 28 November 2016, he was replaced by Mohamed al-Atifi as defense minister. On 29 November 2016, he was appointed as presidential advisor.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "Rebel Fighters Advance Into Yemen's Third-Largest City". Bloomberg. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b Al-Homaid, Fareed (23 March 2015). "HOUTHIS APPOINT NEW DEFENSE MINISTER". The Yemen Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Yemen military chief fired as wave of bombings targets Houthis". Al-Akhbar. 8 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. ^ Ghobari, Mohammed (16 December 2014). "Houthis block Yemen army chief, accuse president of corruption". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  5. ^ Brumfield, Ben (6 April 2015). "Death toll rises quickly as conflict rages in Yemen". CNN. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  6. ^ Marcel Sardo [@marcelsardo] (October 11, 2016). "#IMPORTANT – Updated List of the killed and injured Militaries in #Yemen Funeral Hall bombing" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "الصفحة غير متاحه".
  8. ^ "Yemen's Hadi appoints new defence minister". Retrieved 2024-03-09.


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