But, as Saleh prepared the way for his son Ahmad – the head of the Presidential Guard – to succeed him, he began to marginalize al-Ahmar. In 2009, Saleh sacked al-Ahmar’s key backers, including Central Command Chief General al-Thahiri al-Shadadi and Lieutenant General Haydar al-Sanhani, from power.
但当萨利赫决定将总统职位交由其子阿赫玛德（现任总统卫队队长）继承之后，他就开始逐步将阿赫玛尔边缘化。在2009年，萨利赫分别解除了阿赫玛尔的重要支持者，中央司令部司令塔希里·萨达迪将军以及海耶尔·萨哈尼中将的职务。