The army has been fighting for months in the Tigers' stronghold in the north [EPA]

The Sri Lankan defence ministry said on Friday that the clashes took place on Thursday in the Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna regions bordering the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) de facto state in the north.

Three Sri Lankan army soldiers were killed and 17 others wounded, the ministry said.

The latest clashes bring to 4,335 the number of LTTE fighters reported to have been killed by security forces since January.

In the same period 399 security personnel have died in combat, according to the defence ministry.

The Sri Lankan army has been fighting for months over territory around the Tigers' stronghold in the north.

In the latest infantry clashes, army troops killed 11 fighters in Vavuniya while separate fighting in the nearby Mannar district left six fighters and three soldiers dead, an official said speaking on condition of anonyymity.

Nine fighters were killed and 33 wounded after clashes in Jaffna and Welioya, he said.

Rasiah Ilanthirayan, a rebel spokesman, could not immediately be reached for
comment.

It was not possible to independently verify the military's claims because journalists are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place.

Each side commonly exaggerates its enemy's casualties while playing down its own.

The government has promised to defeat the LTTE by the end of this year.

The Tigers have strongly resisted and halted some military advances and diplomats and other observers say the army has faced more resistance than it expected.

Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for minority Tamils who have been marginalised by successive governments controlled by majority Sinhalese.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the decades long conflict.

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