A suicide bomber kills the commander of military forces in the south of Yemen Monday.<br/> <br />The death of Major General Salem Ali Qatan in the port city of Aden highlights the tenuous grip of Yemen's central authorities on the south, despite a month of U.S.-supported bombardments and air strikes aimed at crushing militants.<br/> <br />Yemen's Defense Ministry said a suicide bomber hurled himself at Qatan's vehicle, also killing two soldiers escorting him. The bomber was identified as a Somali.<br/> <br />Qatan was a central figure in plans to restructure Yemen's military. His appointment to the southern command was the first move by the new President against the former president's loyalists in the army.<br/> <br />Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters
