One of the most powerful men in Central Asia has just been forced into retirement. According to unnamed senior government officials, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev dismissed the long-serving National Security Service chief Rustam Inoyatov. And on Jan. 31, Mirziyoyev announced that Inoyatov would soon be replaced by Ihtiyor Abdullaev, a former prosecutor general with a strong loyalty to Mirziyoyev. Inoyatov’s dismissal is a significant but not unexpected move from Mirziyoyev. Known as one of the most powerful figures in Uzbekistan, Inoyatov served 23 years as the chief of Uzbek security services and had close ties to the former Uzbek president, Islam Karimov. When Karimov died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in late 2016, Inoyatov and Mirziyoyev were both in the running to replace him. But even after Mirziyoyev edged his way into the presidency, Inoyatov remained in power as the last remaining challenger from the previous regime.