Sana'a (dpa) – Forces from Yemen's elite Republican Guards were poised Wednesday to retake a key town seized by militants linked to al-Qaeda, the Yemeni website Baraqesh News reported. Tribal leaders in the town of Rada'a, 150 kilometers south-east of the capital Sana'a, were trying to coax the chief of the militants, Tariq al-Dahab, to quit the town peacefully, reported the site, quoting local sources. Al-Dahab had pinned withdrawal from the town on the government's release of around 400 prisoners, including his brother, added the sources. Al-Dahab is a relative of al-Qaeda's spiritual leader in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a US airstrike last September. More than 200 armed radicals this week captured army positions and the famous al-Amiriya castle in Rada'a, making it the closest town to Sana'a to be controlled by militants affiliated to al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda extremists have taken advantage of the political turmoil which has gripped Yemen since last February to expand their influence in the south. The opposition has accused outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh of allowing al-Qaeda radicals to control areas in the country to extend his stay in power. The president has previously portrayed himself as the only one who can keep the terror network at bay. Last November, Saleh signed a United Nations-sponsored agreement to step down after ruling the country for 33 years in return for immunity from prosecution. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/t0EuT Tags: Al Qaeda, Battle, Clashes Section: Latest News, Yemen