Yemen forces kill 2 top al Qaeda fugitives

SANAA, Oct 1 (Reuters) Yemeni forces killed today two al Qaeda fugitives who had been sentenced to death for an attack on the French oil tanker Limburg in 2002, officials said.

They said forces killed Fawaz al-Rabe'ie and Mohamed Daylami who were two of 13 al Qaeda militants who escaped their Yemeni jail last February.

Forces raided a building in the capital Sanaa where Rabe'ie was holed up and killed him. They also killed Daylami who was hiding in another building and arrested Rabe'ie's aide.

Several fugitives who fled the jail have since surrendered to authorities or were captured by police.

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

The government has offered a 25,500 dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of any of the fugitives.

REUTERS PR BD1808