Nepal's army chief has been fired by the ruling Maoists in a row that could jeopardise a landmark peace process that ended a bloody civil war three years ago.
General Rookmangud Katawal was forced out during a special Cabinet meeting, the information minister said.
He was accused of disobeying instructions not to hire new recruits and reinstating eight generals without consulting the government.
In sacking the army chief, the Maoists ignored objections from opposition parties and some allies within the ruling coalition.
Ties between the Maoists and the army - on opposing sides in a decade-long civil war - have been fraught since the former rebels came to power after emerging as the single largest party in an election for a constituent assembly last year.
The Maoists and the army have also faced off on the question of absorbing thousands of former rebel fighters in the armed forces.
General Katawal had resisted, saying the army could not take in "indoctrinated" cadres.
The rehabilitation of the former fighters is seen as key to lasting peace in the country.
