Sri Lanka's military said today it had captured more than 100 small boats used by the separatist Tamil Tigers, after soldiers seized a coastal village while marching toward the last big port held by the rebels.

Soldiers captured Alampil yesterday after heavy fighting on the east coast, where the army's 59th Division is trying to take the port of Mullaitivu controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the military said.

The rebel "Sea Tiger" wing has long operated around the coasts of the Indian Ocean country, ferrying weapons and ammunition and staging suicide attacks on government targets.

The military believes the Tigers have shifted many of their fighters and weapons to Mullaitivu. A heavy contingent remains dug in at Kilinochchi, the self-declared rebel capital that troops are advancing on from three directions.

Soldiers have been battling toward Kilinochchi since September and the military last week said it was on the verge of capturing it, but torrential monsoon rains stopped the advance.

Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran said in his annual address last week Sri Lanka's military was in a dreamland if it thinks it will win, and vowed to fight back.

With downpours easing, combat operations have resumed, the military said. The Air Force said jets bombed rebel positions in Kilinochchi today but gave no details of casualties.

The LTTE could not be reached for comment. Independent confirmation is all but impossible since both sides limit media access to the war zone.