Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Wednesday ordered restructuring in the country's divided armed forces and removal of the former president's relatives from military and security posts.

In a decree issued during an aired speech, Hadi announced that former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's son, commander of Yemen's elite Republican Guards, and Saleh's nephew, commander of the Central Security forces, were removed from their posts.

He also sacked the commander of the First Armored Division who joined the opposition last year to fight against Saleh's regime that left more than 2,000 people dead.

The reforms were launched to pave the way for an upcoming national reconciliation dialogue in line with a UN-backed power transfer deal that eased Saleh earlier this year following a year- long deadly street protests.

The decree divided the country's army into several regional commands, including four active-duty branches, land forces, air forces, navy forces and border guard, and dissolved the Republican Guards and the First Armored Division.

The Republican Guards, consisting of four missile defense brigades, was under command of Ahmed Ali, the son of former President Saleh. According to the decree, the country's missile defense command will fall under the authority of the defense ministry.

Hadi appointed Major General Ahmed Ali-Maqdashi as the chief of staff of the central security forces, replacing Saleh's nephew Yehya Mohamed Abdullah Saleh, and commanders of the counterterrorism unites and special forces were also replaced with new generals.

Commander of the First Armored Division, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who is a half-brother of Saleh and broke out from him during last year's protests, said he welcomed Hadi's reforms, according to a statement posted on his website.