Nairobi, Feb 24 (IANS): Nigeria's military Monday said some terrorists disguising as women have been arrested following a thorough cordon and search in Baga town in the northeastern state of Borno, Xinhua news agency reported.

Major General Chris Olukolade, the defence headquarters spokesperson, said in a statement that the searches were also yielding more discoveries of arms especially bombs hidden in various locations, especially in Baga town.

He added that many arrests of terrorists hiding in the town were being made and troops were still busy interrogating the suspects, apart from those captured in the course of fighting.

The military spokesperson said the Nigerian Air Force has stepped up its air bombardment of identified targets in Gwoza, Bama and Sambisa forest, preparatory to other phases of the mission, toward clearing terrorists from all their enclaves by the military.

According to him, the air strikes have been highly successful as they achieved the aims, hitting vital targets with required precision, noting that terrorists were now in disarray as they scamper to escape from the impact of air bombardment of their locations in the forest.

The latest operation against Boko Haram is coming on the heels according to the agreement reached by regional leaders from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger to adopt a coordinated response to the group which has killed about 13,000 people and displaced over 1 million others.