A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber killed eight people, including six paramilitary guards, in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo.
A military spokesman said the Tamil Tiger rebel targeted a security checkpoint near a crowded market in the northern suburb of Wattala.
At least 17 others were injured in the attack.
While Sri Lanka's military blamed the rebels for the blast, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam did not immediately comment. It has in the past denied responsibility for such attacks.
Military officials said air force fighter jets had bombed rebel positions in the far north of the country, hours after the suicide attack.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan navy said it had killed four rebels and destroyed a rebel boat in the north.
The military said heavy fighting continued around the rebels' self-proclaimed capital Kilinochchi in the northern war zone.
