A suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suicide bomber blew himself up when troops surrounded him in Sri Lanka's [Images] northern Jaffna peninsula, where two Tamil Tiger rebels and a soldier were killed in separate incidents, the army said in Colombo on Monday.

The LTTE rebels were killed when they tried to breach the security forces' defence line at Muhamalai in Jaffna on Sunday evening, the media centre for national security said.

Army personnel also destroyed two rebel bunkers, it said adding, no casualties were reported among the troops.

A suspected LTTE suicide bomber killed himself at a civilian house at Vadiri, Jaffna, on Sunday after the security forces laid a cordon in the area.

The troops, acting on information provided by a civilian about presence of rebels, had rushed there and cordoned off the area, the army said.

The LTTE cadre has been identified as Darani, a 19-year-old youth from Thumpalai, Point Pedro. Troops have recovered another unexploded suicide belt and a hand-grenade from the possession of the deceased.

In a separate incident in Jaffna, a soldier lost his life in the explosion of a Claymore mine suspected to be planted by LTTE rebels to target a group of Sri Lankan troops.

In eastern Batticaloa, a former Tamil Tiger rebel, identified as Thambimuththu Nadaraja, was hacked to death by suspected LTTE men on Sunday morning, the army said.

Meanwhile, security personnel recovered a radio communication set while conducting a search operation at Purisuddakulam in Vavuniya yesterday, the army said quoting defence soures.