The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that three members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were gunned down by Army snipers deployed in the Muhamalai area of the Jaffna peninsula on Friday.

On the Vavuniya front clashes between the security forces and the LTTE were reported in Navathkulam, Ampaddankulam, Nochchikulam, Palaimoddai, Navvi and Kovitkunchukulam areas with 26 LTTE rebels being killed while five others injured.

An Army soldier was killed and another four received injuries in Vavuniya, the statement said.

On the Welioya front, during heavy gun battles in the Janakapura and Kiriibbanwewa areas eight rebels were killed while another 11 suffered injuries.

The statement said 18 more rebels were either killed or wounded during fierce gun battles erupted in the north on Friday.

The government's claim can not be independently verified as international organizations and journalists are not allowed to enter into the battlefield.

Sri Lankan Army Commander Sarath Fonseka said Monday that about9,000 LTTE rebels and 1,700 government soldiers have been killed in fighting since the government launched its military offensive in August 2006.

The commander estimated that within about one year, the LTTE will lose its capability as a conventional force and can no longer fight against the troops in the same manner as before.

Having taking control of the whole Eastern Province from the LTTE in July 2007, the troops are currently battling the LTTE in the north with the aim of totally crushing the organization.

The LTTE has been fighting against the government since the mid-1980s to establish an independent homeland for the island's minority Tamils, which led to the death of more than 70,000 people.