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Hussein Khairan
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] BiographyKhairan 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
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