Sri Lankan troops captured the Tamil Tigers' headquarters town on Friday in one of the biggest setbacks for the rebels in years, but in an apparent riposte a suspected suicide bomber killed three airmen in the capital Colombo.

Troops fought their way into the separatist stronghold of Kilinochchi deep in the north, dealing a heavy blow to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Details of casualties from the fighting were not immediately available.

"It was the constant dream of all Sri Lankans, whether Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, who are opposed to separatism, racism, and terrorism, and have always, sought peace, freedom and democracy," President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a nationally televised address.

"Today our heroic troops have made that dream a reality. A short while ago, our brave and heroic troops have fully captured Kilinochchi that was considered the main bastion of the LTTE."

Within an hour of his statement, a suspected suicide attacker struck near the Sri Lankan Air Force headquarters, a spokesman at the Media Centre for National Security said.

Hospital officials said 37 people were wounded in the blast.

The military said all three of those killed and 12 of the wounded were air force personnel.

The Tigers, who have been fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the east and north of the island for a quarter of a century, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Military officials say the rebels have in the past hit back with bombings in the capital and elsewhere whenever they have come under pressure on the northern frontline.

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