Saudi takes command of coalition troops in Yemen's Aden

Saudi Arabia took command of anti-rebel troops in Yemen's Aden, Saudi state media said Sunday, after the government and southern separatist forces struck a power-sharing deal following August clashes in the city.

"Coalition forces have been repositioned in Aden to become under the kingdom's command and redeployed to conform with requirements of current operations," the Saudi-led pro-government coalition said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

The move comes after the United Arab Emirates, which is part of the Saudi-led coalition against northern-based Huthi rebels but has also trained southern separatists, handed key positions to Saudi forces earlier this month, according to a security official.

The UAE-backed Security Belt force in August seized control of Aden, which had served as the beleaguered government's base since it was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Huthi rebels in 2014.

The Security Belt is dominated by supporters of the separatist Southern Transitional