AQAP, alQaida's branch in Yemen, set April 30 as the final deadline to execute about 73 soldiers who were arrested during raids on military posts in Abyan province in early March.

In a statement distributed in Jaar, one of the cities held by militants in Abyan and quoted by media, the group said this deadline came after it had decided to execute the soldiers.

The group declared the decision in public and put posters over the decision in Jaar on Monday, according to locals.

Earlier, al-Qaida demanded the release of its members held inside the political security jails in return for freeing the soldiers.

Meantime, media outlets have reported the decision on the executions came after disagreements between leaders inside AQAP. Some leaders suggested releasing the soldiers but others saw AQAP has the right to determine their fate, reports said.

The few days ago, two national human rights organizations warned the soldiers were facing the danger of execution.

The HOOD and al-Karama organizations, which sent an activist team that visited the soldiers last year, revealed al-Qaida was threatening to kill ten soldiers a week. The government has not made comment.

The government is currently battling the militants in Abyan and other southeastern regions killing and injuring hundreds of them.

With direct support from the US, the army in association with popular fighters has advanced toward towns, which were held by militants in mid-2011 including Zinjibar, the capital, taking over many areas and positions.

In early March, militants raided some military posts in Abyan killing and abducting scores of soldiers and looting military equipment.

AQAP, the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, was announced in 2009 when the Yemeni and Saudi terrorist wings merged