SANAA, Jan 15 (Reuters) - An al Qaeda fugitive who escaped from a Yemeni jail along with other militants last year was killed in a shootout with government forces, a security official said on Monday.

The official said security forces shot dead Yasser al-Homeiqani in southern Yemen on Sunday. Two officers were wounded in the clash, he said.

Homeiqani was among a group of 23 militants who tunnelled out of a Sanaa jail in February 2006. Several members of the group have been killed or arrested, or have surrendered to authorities.

The fugitives included the leaders of the 2000 bombing of the U.S. warship Cole and the 2002 attack on the French supertanker Limburg.

The jailbreak embarrassed Yemen's government, which is battling Islamist militants, and raised questions about Yemen's security measures among its Western allies.

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