Colombo, Oct. 20: Sri Lankan troops have reportedly taken control of the strategic Tamil Tiger village of Vannerikulam, which lies west of the rebel capital Kilinochchi.

Reports reaching the Sri Lankan capital quoted army sources as saying that the village was captured on Sunday, and added that the march toward Kilinochchi has been made much easier.

No details on casualties from the battle were released. Army sources, however, said that dramatic progress has been made from a miliary offensive point of view in the northern parts of the island-nation.

However, they said that the rebels continue to offer stiff resistance to government troops approaching the edge of Kilinochchi.

The authorities have vowed to crush the insurgents and end their 25-year campaign for a separate homeland for the island''s ethnic minority Tamils, who have suffered marginalization by successive governments controlled by majority ethnic Sinhalese.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting since the early 1980s. (ANI)