The bomber exploded herself at the gate of the military hospital situated in the heavily guarded Army Headquarters compound. She is believed to have entered the complex with visitors to the military hospital.

"A powerful explosion activated by a woman Tamil Tiger suicide bomber claimed the lives of several army and civilian personnel near the military hospital gate this afternoon," the army said in a statement.

Besides the army chief, 26 other personnel were injured in the attack that came as the rebels stalled a second round of peace talks with increasing attacks on government troops.

General Fonseca, who suffered severe abdominal injuries, was rushed to the hospital where he underwent an emergency operation. He is said to be in serious condition.

Nearby roads were closed after the blast and the main highway connecting LTTE stronghold Jaffna to the rest of the rest of the country was cut off by the government troops.

The rebels have stepped up their attacks on military targets since the November election of President Mahinda Rajpakse. The Scandinavian truce monitoring mission said the bombing further undermined Norway's attempts to broker peace.