Colombo  – Sri Lanka's Navy and Air Force jointly destroyed a cluster of Tamil rebel boats off the island's north-eastern coast on Tuesday morning, killing at least six rebels, military officials said.

Fighting broke out after the Sri Lanka Navy's elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) confronted a cluster of sea tiger boats off Nayaru, more than 370 kilometres north-east of Colombo, shortly before dawn.

The navy destroyed two of the boats while the air force, which were called in to support the sailors, destroyed five of the boats fleeing the area.

The navy said that they suffered no damage or injuries.

On Monday, security forces captured a fishing village in the Nayaru area.

Government troops have intensified their operations against the rebels after capturing some strategic areas last Saturday. One of the areas captured was a coastal village in the north-western part of the country known as Pooneryn and another was Mankulam located on a key highway to the north.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has extended the services of the Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka for another year, though he was due to retire in December. (dpa)