A suicide bomber kills the commander of military forces in the south of Yemen Monday.

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.

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.

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.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters