Turkmen leader fires security chief

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan´s leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has fired the head of the powerful national security ministry, state media reported Thursday. Berdymukhamedov dismissed Yalim Berdiyev, who had held the post since 2018, and replaced him with deputy national security minister Gurbanmyrat Annayev, the state-run Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper said. Berdiyev had moved on to another job, it said, without giving details. Berdymukhamedov rules without opposition or free media and little is known about what motivates government appointments. Berdiyev was replaced after receiving a “final warning” from the Turkmen leader for “shortcomings” in January, although the source of the president´s displeasure was unclear, state media said.