Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans have been killed in the conflict and more have been displaced. Since then, the Tigers have plotted many brutal attacks, including more than 200 by suicide bombers, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. But after a 1983 LTTE attack on Sri Lankan security forces sparked riots across the country that left hundreds of Tamils dead, they emerged as the dominate Tamil insurgent group.
( See pictures of Sri Lanka on the brink of civil war in 2006)ĭuring the first years of their existence, the Tigers were one of several resistance groups competing for support from the Sri Lankan Tamil population. The group is formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Tamils, who practice Hinduism and have their own language, took this action as an affront, and Vellupillai Prabhakaran founded the Tigers soon after. In 1972, the Sinhalese-controlled Sri Lankan government declared Sinhala and Buddhism the official language and religion. Tamils originally immigrated to Sri Lanka from southern India and make up 10 to 15% of the population, compared to the majority Sinhalese, who constitute about 75%. The Tigers which include 5,000 to 10,000 guerillas are fighting to secede from the the island country of Sri Lanka. Federal forces recently announced they had captured the Tigers' capital, Kilinochchi, but it's a safe bet that, regardless of territory lost or possibly dwindling ranks, the guerillas will not give up their fight willingly. The rebels, based in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, have been waging a violent offensive against the central government on and off for more than 20 years. They invented the suicide vest and, according to the FBI, are the only terrorist group to have assassinated two world leaders. Follow Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka are undoubtedly one of the most organized, effective and brutal terrorist groups in the world.
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