Suicide bomber kills 3 in Colombo

Colombo: 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.

The attack came within a hour of an official statment that Sri Lankan troops captured the Tamil Tigers' headquarters town od Kilinochchi on Friday.

"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."

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.

Analysts said the capture of Kilinochchi could make the capital and far south more vulnerable.