Narrative
Narrative of the Organization's History
Narrative of the Organization's History
Leadership, Name Changes, Size Estimates, Resources, Geographic Locations
Ideology, Aims, Political Activities, Targets, and Tactics
First Attacks, Largest Attacks, Notable Attacks
Foreign Designations and Listings, Community Relations, Relations with Other Groups, State Sponsors and External Influences
Mapping relationships with other militant groups over time in regional maps
The LTTE's primary goal was to attain an independent state for Sri Lankan Tamils – known as “Tamil Eelam” – in the northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka, where most Tamils reside.[39] According to a 2001 census, 9.4% of the Sri Lankan population was Tamil, while the Sinhalese majority comprised 82% of the population. [40] After Sri Lanka became independent from the British in 1948, the majority Sinhalese practiced discrimination towards the Tamils, who were favored by the British during colonial rule.[41] This discrimination drove calls for an independent Tamil state.
LTTE leader Prabhakan stressed that the creation of Tamil Eelam was “a demand of the Tamil people,” as opposed to a goal pursued by a radical minority of Tamils. Although separatist ideology has dominated the LTTE’s rhetoric, Prabhakran stated in a 2002 press conference that the LTTE’s desire self-determination entailed autonomy and self-rule, not necessarily statehood and cessation from the rest of Sri Lanka.[42]
The LTTE is one of several violent offshoots of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), formerly the Tamil United Front (TUF). TUF was formed in the early 1970s from groups such as the Tamil Congress and the Federal Party.[43] When it officially called for the formation of an independent Tamil state in 1976, the group’s name was changed to the Tamil United Liberation Front. Several more radical militant Tamil groups, including Prabhakaran’s LTTE, emerged from the TULF.[44]
The LTTE formed its political front, The People's Front of Liberation Tigers, in 1989, during a time in which the LTTE was in negotiations with the Sri Lankan government. Yogaratnam Yogi was the party’s General Secretary. It has, until recently, been a registered political party in Sri Lanka. However they have rarely been active in local politics. Although they were listed on a few local ballots in 2008, the government deregistered the party in 2011.[45]
The LTTE demonstrated its willingness to negotiate with the Sri Lankan government on several occasions. The group often used talks and agreements strategically to enhance its own position, re-arm, and eliminate its competitors.[46] In 1985, the first set of talks with the government took place in Bhutan, and these talks were followed by an accord between India and Sri Lanka in 1987. The Indian government agreed to intervene in the Sri Lankan conflict and provide a peacekeeping force to ensure that the LTTE disarmed. However, Indian forces were unable to subdue the LTTE and withdrew in 1990, giving the LTTE time to re-group and eliminate dissenters among the Tamil population.[47]
Peace talks continued throughout the 1990s and were largely unsuccessful. During this period, the LTTE adopted “hit-and-run” tactics wherein peace talks were alternated with bouts of violence and clashes between the LTTE and government forces.[48] The most significant negotiation occurred in February 2002 when Norway, serving as a mediator, helped secure a ceasefire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. However, after six rounds of additional talks in Thailand and Japan, the LTTE announced the suspension of further talks in 2003.[49] Some experts believe this was a tactical move to garner further concessions from the Sri Lankan government. The LTTE cited the Sri Lankan government’s exclusion of the group from an international aid conference, continued military occupation of Tamil-settled areas, and marginalization in government economic policies as the primary reasons for the breakdown of the ceasefire.[50]
After the failure of another round of peace talks in 2006, the Sri Lankan government launched an all-out offensive against the LTTE.[51] On May 17, 2009, an LTTE representative conceded the defeat of the LTTE by government forces. Prabhakaran was killed by government forces on May 18, 2009, bringing an immediate end to the conflict and the LTTE.[52]
The LTTE was organized hierarchically under the leadership of the group’s founder, Prabhakaran. The LTTE maintained army, navy, and air capabilities. The group is most well-known for its use of suicide operations by a small, special armed group called the Black Tigers. The Black Tigers used traditional land and sea tactics, guerrilla warfare, and targeted bombings and assassinations against targets in the northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka. They are one of the first organizations to utilize suicide attacks on a large scale. According to Jane’s Intelligence Review, the LTTE carried out 168 suicide attacks between 1980-2000.[53] Some of the group’s most controversial suicide attacks include the assassinations of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa.[54]
The LTTE attacked targeted individuals and groups who did not support their overarching goal of attaining an independent Tamil state. This included members of the Sri Lankan military and police forces, Sri Lankan and Indian politicians, and sometimes various civilian populations. Most of LTTE’s victims were Sinhalese Buddhists, who comprised the majority population of Sri Lanka. The LTTE also targeted Sri Lankan Tamil politicians who did not support the LTTE and their goals, as well as other rival Tamil militant groups in Sri Lanka. Additionally, the LTTE attacked symbols of national importance to the Sri Lankan state, such as the Sri Lankan Central Bank and the country’s world-trade center.[55]
The LTTE also adopted guerilla tactics that were initially very effective against the Sri Lankan government. LTTE forces would often ambush government troops and attack in “waves,” meaning here that the LTTE would first swarm the enemy and then engage in suicide bombings, which would often confuse and scare Sri Lankan government forces.[56]
Disclaimer: These are some selected major attacks in the militant organization's history. It is not a comprehensive listing but captures some of the most famous attacks or turning points during the campaign.
May 14, 1985: Gunfire attack on Sri Lankan Buddhist holy site in Anaradhapura. (146 killed (BBC) (GTD: 86 killed, 100 wounded)).[57]
May 3, 1986: Bomb planted on Sri Lankan Air flight carrying British, French, and Japanese tourists, at the Colombo airport set to fly to the Maldives. (14-16 killed, 23-39 wounded).[58]
April 21, 1987: Car bomb explodes at a bus station in Colombo, killing civilians. (113-150 killed, 200 wounded).[59]
June 2, 1987: Aranthalawa massacre of Buddhist monks on a bus in Eastern Sri Lanka. (33 killed).[60]
July 5, 1987: A soldier drove an explosive-filled truck into a Sri Lankan Army camp in Nelliady, northern Jaffna, followed by a ground attack by a group of LTTE soldiers. (40 killed (GTD: 20 dead, 27 wounded)).[61]
October 10, 1988: Massacre in Mahakongaskada Village of civilians. (44-45 killed, 17 wounded ).[62]
June 11, 1990: Massacre of Police Officers in Kalmunai in eastern Sri Lanka. (144 killed (GTD); most other sources claim over 600).[63]
August 3, 1990: Kattankudy mosque massacre; LTTE highly suspected but has not yet claimed official responsibility (112-150 killed).[64]
May 21, 1991: Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, and 14-18 others by a female suicide bomber, in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The LTTE did not officially claim responsibility. (15-19 killed).[65]
October 16, 1992: Motorcycle-based suicide attack in Colombo killed Chief Sri Lankan Navy Commander Vice Admiral Fernando and four other Navy personnel. (5 killed ).[66]
May 1, 1993: Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa is killed by a suicide bomber along with 23 others during a May Day rally in Colombo. (24 killed).[67]
October 24, 1994: Female suicide bomber assassinates Gamini Dissanyake, Leader of the Opposition and United National Party candidate for the Presidential Elections, during a Colombo elections rally, (59 dead).[68]
October 20, 1995: Explosion in Orugodawatte crude oil company by a suicide unit of four, killing 23 soldiers and two civilians. Fourteen storage tanks were destroyed, causing $61 million in damage. (25 killed, 32 injured ).[69]
October 22, 1995: Attack in Thamanagama fishing village and three other Eastern Sri Lankan villages. (50-66 killed).[70]
November 24, 1995: Two female suicide bombers attack the Sri Lankan army headquarters in Colombo. (16 killed, 52 wounded).[71]
December 23, 1995: Army ambush in Batticaloa district that killed 32 Sri Lankan troops, and a government-reported 60 rebels. (92-93 killed, 34 wounded).[72]
January 31, 1996: A suicide bomber detonates an explosives-loaded truck at the Central Bank in Colombo. (91 dead, 1400 injured).[73]
July 18, 1996: LTTE took control of a Sri Lankan army camp in the northeastern town of Mullaitivu. (1200 soldiers killed (BBC and Guardian)/150+ troops and 34 rebels killed (Reuters)).[74]
July 24, 1996: Explosive attack on a commuter train near Colombo. (60-61 killed, 391-600 wounded).[75]
September 30, 1998: Major LTTE offensive on Sri Lankan Army at key city Kilinochchi, former LTTE base, near the Sri Lankan army's major Elephant Pass base, killing over 600-900 (varied estimates) Sri Lankan soldiers. (900 killed (varied estimates)).[76]
July 29, 1999: Neelan Thiruchelvam, a moderate Tamil MP member of TULF and involved in the government-backed peace process, was killed in a suicide attack in Colombo. (3 killed, 5 injured).[77]
September 18, 1999: Attack on three villages in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province in an apparent retaliation for Sri Lankan army attacks on Tamil civilians early that week. (50 killed).[78]
December 18, 1999: Assasination attempt on Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was injured in two bombings while campaigning for a second term during election rallies in Colombo. (15-34 killed).[79]
April 23, 2000: Tigers take control of key Sri Lankan Army base in Jaffna, Elephant Pass, which they had been fighting to seek control since the Army takeover of the former LTTE stronghold in the Jaffna peninsula in 1995. ( 79 soldiers killed, 400+ injured, and 150 LTTE members injured).[80]
June 7, 2000: Senior Sri Lankan Industry Minister CV Gooneratne assassinated in Colombo by a suicide bomber. (20-21 killed).[81]
July 7, 2004: First suicide bombing in three years. LTTE female soldier in an apparent attempt to assassinate high-profile Hindu Affairs Minister Douglas Devananda, a voracious LTTE critic. (5 killed, 9 injured).[82]
October 25, 2005: Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, a key player in the peace process and close aide of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, was assassinated at his home in a suicide attack in Colombo. (1 killed).[83]
April 9, 2006: Over 100 killed during a 2 week period, the most intensified fighting since the 2002 truce. (100+ killed).[84]
June 15, 2006: Evidence suggests that the LTTE was responsible for a bus bombing in Aduradhapura district. (64 killed, 84 wounded).[85]
October 16, 2006: Suicide bombing attack on Sri Lankan naval convoy buses in northeast region of Dambulla, one of the deadliest since 2002 peace. (95 killed).[86]
May 9, 2009: Attack on civilians in Mullaitivu, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. (9 killed, 19 wounded ).[87]
Over 32 different states have listed the LTTE as a terrorist organization, including Malaysia, the US, India, the UK, the EU, Canada, etc.[88] The LTTE was designated a "foreign terrorist organization" by the US government under the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. The LTTE was re-designated in October 2003 and currently maintains this status.[89]
The LTTE is listed as a "proscribed terrorist group" by the UK government under the Terrorism Act of 2000.[90]
The EU has also listed LTTE on their list of terrorist organizations as per the Council Common Position 2009/67/CFSP.[91] It was re-listed in 2011 after a review of its listed terrorist organizations.[92]
Since 1992, the LTTE has been included in a list of terrorist organizations by the Indian government under The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.[93]
In 2006, Canada listed the LTTE as a terrorist organization pursuant to its criminal code.[94]
Support for the LTTE was primarily based around the disenfranchised Tamil population in the north of Sri Lanka, and later the Tamils who escaped to the south.[95] In the territory it controlled, the LTTE established some civil administration, including postal services, courts, police, banks, radio, etc. These structures collect taxes and administer the rule of law.[96]
The LTTE was notorious for actively recruiting women and children from among the Tamil community. It was thought that women constituted 20-30% of the LTTE’s fighting cadre and that an estimated 4,000 female members were killed during the 26 years of the Sri Lankan conflict.[97] A female LTTE suicide bomber carried out the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi. The LTTE also actively used children as part of their front-line troops.[98] The LTTE’s recruitment of child soldiers led to discontent among the Tamil community. According to UNICEF, the LTTE has recruited over 5,800 child soldiers since 2001. Many of these children were abducted from refugee camps and orphanages in Tamil-controlled areas.[99]
Tamil militant groups began to emerge in 1970s, the first of which was the “Tamil Students Movement” that protested the limited admission of Tamil students to universities. By 1972, the original student movement broke up into smaller, militant groups such as the Tamil New Tigers (TNT), the LTTE’s predecessor, and the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO).[100] By the late 1980s, there were over thirty different Tamil militant groups. The most significant groups were the LTTE, the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), TELO, the Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), and the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). By 1987, the LTTE was the dominant group. TELO especially was repeatedly attacked by the LTTE during the 1987 war against India, as well as members of PLOTE and EPRLF.[101]
In March 2004, Colonel Vinayagamoorthy Maralitharan, commonly known as “Karuna Amman,” broke away from the LTTE and formed an underground organization and political party with a band of his supporters. His organization’s military wing is called the Tamil National Front and its political wing is known as the Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulligal (TMVP), allied with the Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF). By April 2004, the LTTE had essentially subdued the breakaway faction; however, Colonel Karuna escaped with a small group of supporters and regrouped in Colombo.[102] In 2006, Colonel Karuna allied with the Sri Lankan government, delivering a huge blow to the LTTE.[103]
The LTTE has developed relationships with various Islamist groups because of its criminal activities in the informal arms market, rather than any form of ideological affinity. By the 1990s, the LTTE had developed a close relationship with the Kurdish Support Group in France and had modeled their diaspora funding efforts after the Kurdish example. The LTTE’s acquisition of 11 Greek surface to air missiles was reportedly a result of the LTTE’s relationship with the PKK.[104] Furthermore, it is believed that Otharad Cargo, an LTTE-operated cargo company based in Dubai, received military hardware from the Sharjah network, a large Taliban weapons-procurement operation.[105] In Karachi, Pakistan, the LTTE registered a front company that obtained weapons for both the LTTE and Pakistani militant groups. An LTTE shipping fleet was also involved in providing logistical support for the Al Qaeda-affiliated Pakistani group Harakat-al Mujahideen.[106]
The LTTE also established a presence in Eritrea, which is known to be a major shipment point in the informal arms market. It is suspected that the LTTE has interactions with Al Qaeda affiliated groups in the Eritrean Network. A US Senate Foreign Relations Committee report in December 2006 claims that the Eritrean government directly supports the LTTE. The LTTE also maintains relationships with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Aby Sayyaf in the Philippines in activities related to fund transfers and training operations.[107]
Overseas funding is mainly provided by the large Sri Lankan diaspora, which has continued to grow since Sri Lanka's 1948 independence.[108] During the 1970s and 1980s, the LTTE's main financial support came from the Tamils who fled Sri Lanka to India, Malaysia, Europe, and North America.[109] The Indian state of Tamil Nadu became a crucial transit point for low-technology arms, narcotics, contraband, and more, given its geographic closeness to Sri Lanka and control of the regional waters by the LTTE Sea Tigers.
India’s Intelligence service, known as the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), is believed to have provided training and weaponry to the LTTE up until the mid-1980s. RAW withdrew its support of the LTTE in the 1980s, as LTTE began to make alliances with radical separatist groups in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.[110]
Cambodia was a crucial source for LTTE arms procurement, contributing an estimated five to ten percent towards the LTTE’s total arsenal. Thailand also served as an important source of manpower, as well as a strategic base for arms procurement.
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