SANAA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Yemen said Saturday it arrested three al-Qaida suspects near the borders with Saudi Arabia, as five out of six al-Qaida elements killed in a Friday air strike have been identified, ruling National Congress party's website, al-Motamar, reported.

    Yemeni security forces arrested Ahmed Sawaqi al-Razhi, Yasser Deifallah al-Razhi, and Ahmed Saleh al-Himi near the border post of Alb in the northern province of Saada while they were being disguised in military uniforms and carrying weapons, explosives and leaflets, the portal quoted unidentified sources as saying.

    The trio had escaped several raids by the Yemeni security forces backed by jetfighters against their hideouts in various areas before being captured, the sources added.

    Meanwhile, Yemeni Interior Ministry identified five of six al-Qaida militants who were killed on Friday in an air strike that targeted two cars in al-Ajashir area, between the northern provinces of al-Jawf and Saada, confirming that Kasim al-Raimy, the military leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Amar Ubadah al-Waili, the leader of al-Qaida group in al-Jawf province, were among the fatalities.

    Also killed were Saleh al-Tais, Ayed al-Shabwani, Egyptian Ibrahim Mohamed Saleh al-Banna, and an unidentified sixth militant.

    A report by a military-run website on Friday said two other members onboard the vehicles managed to escape and efforts are underway to hunt them down. However, it did not give details on how the pair managed to escape or whether they were injured or not.

    State-run Saba news agency said Raimy, born in 1977, was arrested eight years ago in connection with a series of explosions in the capital, Sanaa. He was then sentenced to five years in prison on Aug. 24, 2004. Two years later, he was one of 23 men who managed to break out of prison.

    The Friday's attack is the second major operation by Yemeni security forces against the country's al-Qaida branch within a week. On Tuesday, Abdullah al-Mihzhar, an al-Qaida local leader, was killed in a raid in Maifa'ah district in the southern province of Shabwa. Four suspected al-Qaida members were also captured during the raid.

    Late in December, Sanaa started a crackdown against al-Qaida militants in southern governorates, in which around 45 pro-Qaida members were killed.