The United States praised Yemeni President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi Thursday for his moves to restructure the country's military, as part of attempts to settle the country's power struggle, dpa reported.
President Barack Obama's counterterrorism advisor John Brennan called Hadi to express support for the leader's "steadfast resolve to continue on the path of political transition," the White House said in a statement.
Hadi Wednesday moved to assert his control over the country's army, abolishing the forces headed by rival army chiefs.
Decrees issued late on Wednesday by Hadi abolished the Republican Guard commanded by Ahmad Ali Saleh, the son of Hadi's predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to local newspapers Al-Masdar and Mareb Press reporting online.
Also abolished, according to the reports, was the First Armoured Division headed by the powerful General Ali Mohssen, who split with Saleh in early 2011 as Yemen's revolution gathered force.
Brennan also expressed US support for a national dialogue toward political transition and US cooperation against al-Qaeda in the country.
Hadi, who came to power in February under an internationally-backed plan, has been slowly seeking to gain full control of the country's divided armed forces.