Omar al-Faruq, one of al Qaeda's most senior global operatives, escaped from an American military prison in Afghanistan this summer, a US defence official said on Wednesday.

The official, who asked not to be identified, confirmed to Reuters that the Kuwaiti, who was captured in Indonesia in 2002 and turned over to the United States, was among four prisoners who escaped from Bagram Air Base prison in July. He remains at large.

Copyright Reuters, 2005