Yemen's defence minister is to call on the son of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over troops and material he has retained against orders, the Defence Ministry said Thursday.
Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmad, during an inspection of the first brigade of the newly formed presidential guard, observed that it was at only 10 per cent of its official strength, dpa reported according to the ministry website.
Formerly part of Ahmed Saleh's Republican Guard, the brigade was assigned to the new force in early August as President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi sought to assert his control over Yemen's military.
The new presidential guard was slated to include three brigades from Saleh's Republican Guard and one from the First Armoured Division led by rebel general Ali Mohssen.
Units loyal to Mohssen and to then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh shelled each other in 2011 in the capital Sanaa, as thousands of protesters took to the streets against the long-serving president.
Saleh and family members have been accused of obstructing the internationally backed transition plan, under which Hadi took office in February.