Sri Lankan defense ministry said on Thursday that 92 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed on Wednesday and three soldiers lost their lives in an offensive carried out in the north of the country.

According to a ministry statement, the operation was carried out Wednesday afternoon when five bunkers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were wiped out by government troops.

The statement said:  "As per the military reports received from the northern battlefronts, at least 92 terrorists were killed and over 15 suffered injuries during yesterday's confrontations. Also, three soldiers were killed in action while another 20 sustained injuries," AFP reports.

The clashes occurred in the northern districts of Mannar and Vavuniya, where 20 soldiers were also wounded.

The fighting came just hours after three soldiers were killed in south by suspected rebels. The soldiers were offering security to a highway in Buttalam, 220 miles from the Tiger's northern de facto state.

The Tigers were not available for comment and according to analysts both sides tend to increase the number of casualties of their opponent.

In the meantime, the LTTE issued a statement saying that the attacks carried out by the government troops in the civilian areas of their territory, is wounding children and farmers.  

The statement said: “Tamil civilians ... are paying dearly for the constant shelling by the Sri Lanka military. Thousands of families have (been) displaced from their homes.”

Almost 1,450 rebels were killed this year, defense ministry said.

According to military, 83 soldiers were killed in 2008.

Ever since the Tigers started a campaign in 1972 to form an independent state in the north and east of the country, almost 70,000 people have died.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said that 180 civilians were killed and 270 others were injured this year alone in bombings which occurred on buses, train stations and in the streets.