WASHINGTON, (UPI) -- - Sources close to the White House said U.S. President George Bush began plans to remove U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in late summer.
The sources, from within and outside the White House, told The New York Times that Bush delayed the plans until after the election because of concerns that the move would be seen as political opportunism or viewed by critics as vindication of their concerns about the administration's war plans.
Debate about when to oust Rumsfeld went on for several months leading up to the election, the sources told the Times. Many Republicans saw the delay as a political mistake during a campaign that featured much criticism of Rumsfeld from Democratic -- and some Republican -- candidates.
Officials said the final decision to replace Rumsfeld with Robert Gates, the former director of the CIA, was made by Bush with consultation from Rumsfeld, national security adviser Stephen Hadley, Counselor to the President Dan Bartlett and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten.
The United Arab Emirates acknowledged on Tuesday that two of its pilots were killed when their military aggression plane crashed over Jawf province, a military official said
The official added that the aggressive crashed plane was an apache that was
Artillery of the army and popular shelled a gathering of Saudi-paid mercenaries in al-Moqadra area in Serwah district of Marib province, a military official said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, dozens of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and others injured in Wadi al-Theek in the district, the official added.
The army and popular forces carried out on Monday unique military operations in Taiz province.
A military official said that a number of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed at the hands of the army and popular forces in al-Jazami Hill in al-Kadaha area in al-Ma'afer district.
A Saudi aggression fighter jet targeted a citizen's car driving in Fara area of Kutaf district in Saada province overnight, killing the driver and injuring his friend, a security official said on Monday.
The army artillery and popular committees launched a fierce attack on Saudi-paid mercenaries' sites in Jawf province, a military official said on Monday.
The attack destroyed a military vehicle belonging to the mercenaries and killed all on board in Sabran area in khab and shaaf district.
Scores of Saudi enemy soldiers were killed and injured on Sunday when the army and popular forces repelled a Saudi military attempt to sneak into Shurfah site in the border province of Najran, a military official said.
The operation was accomplished successfully against the Saudi
The army and popular committees have killed a total of 18 Saudi-paid mercenaries in sniper operations over the past hours in the central province of Marib, a military official said on Sunday.
Ten mercenaries were killed in Nehm district and eight others were killed in Serwah district, said the official.
Saudi aggression warplanes have launched more than 49 airstrikes over the past hours on several residential areas across Yemen, a security official said on Sunday.
The airstrikes targeted the areas of Malahiz and Husama in Dhahir district, and areas Thuban, Masahif and Sdad in Bakim district of northern Saada province.
Bush planned Rumsfeld ouster in summer
