Sana'a (dpa) – A battle for control of a central Yemeni town loomed Wednesday between the Yemeni army and insurgents linked to al-Qaeda, the independent Yemeni news website Al Taghayeer reported. Tensions had risen after the radicals spurned an offer from tribal leaders to withdraw safely from Rada'a. The chief of the insurgents, Tariq al-Dahab, insists on creating a committee of his comrades to run town affairs and address alleged local injustices, the site reported, quoting Abdel-Karim al-Tam, a tribal leader. “Tribal leaders vehemently reject this proposal,” al-Tam added. More than 200 armed radicals last week seized army positions and the famous al-Amiriya castle in Rada'a, making it the closest town to the Yemeni capital Sana'a to be controlled by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants. In the past few days, they have been pushing for a bigger foothold in the town, located 150 kilometres south-east of Sana'a. Their chief, al-Dahab, is a relative of al-Qaeda's spiritual leader in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a US airstrike last year. Government forces have beefed up their positions around Rada'a in preparation for an assault on the insurgents, who have unveiled a plan to set up an “Islamic emirate” in the town, according to local media reports. “The tribal leaders will seek another round of negotiations with the insurgents to coax them into leaving and spare the town's residents the consequences of an armed showdown,” said al-Tam, the tribal chief. Militants – believed to be affiliated to al-Qaeda – have taken advantage of a year of political turmoil in Yemen to expand their influence in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/aPQdV Tags: Al Qaeda, Battle, Violence Section: Latest News, Yemen
