BANJUL Feb 27 (Reuters) - Gambian President Adama Barrow has replaced the head of the military, a pillar of his predecessor Yahya Jammeh's repressive government, and dismissed a number of senior military officers, officials said on Monday.
The director of the prisons system was also arrested, as were nine men suspected of being members of Jammeh's alleged death squads, known as the Jungulars.
The moves were the latest in a series of arrests and personnel changes under Barrow, who is seeking to assert control following the end of Jammeh's 22-year rule. The former president fled into exile last month after refusing to accept his election defeat.
Jammeh was himself an army officer, seizing power in a coup in 1994, and he leaned heavily on the military to bolster his grip on the country, a popular destination with European tourists.
General Ousman Badjie, the defence chief of staff, was removed along with 10 other senior officers, including the directors of operations and intelligence, army spokesman Lieutenant Kemo Kanuteh said.
Badjie's loyalty appeared to vacillate between Jammeh and Barrow in the wake of the Dec. 1 election.
He finally publicly recognised Barrow as commander-in-chief last month as a regional intervention force closed in on the capital Banjul to remove Jammeh, stating he would welcome the force "with flowers and make them a cup of tea".
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