Tunisian presidency's spokesman announced Monday the appointment of Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Salah Hamdi as the new army chief of staff, the official TAP press agency reported.

The newly-assigned commander was also promoted to the rank of Army General, said the spokesman, adding that the decision was taken following a meeting between the country's President Moncef Marzouki and the Defense Minister Rachid Sabbagh.

This move came after the retirement of the country's army chief of staff Rachid Ammar last month after he was criticized for his handling of counter-insurgency operations targeting el-Qaida militants in Western Tunisia.

Ammar is believed to have played a major role in Ben Ali's ouster when he refused to give orders to fire on protesters during the 2011 pro-democracy uprising.