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| The '''Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam''' (LTTE), also known as the '''Tamil Tigers''', is a Sri Lankan ] ] organization founded in ] that has sought to establish an independent state, called ], in the north-east of ]. However, as the country entered a "post-conflict" phase in 2002 and 2003, the LTTE seemed to moderate these demands, seeking instead greater political and economic autonomy within a one-state solution and acknowledging that a military approach was not a viable way to achieve their goals. | |||
| The Tamil Tigers' most notorious crime was the ], ] alleged assassination of ] Prime Minister ] |
The Tamil Tigers' most notorious crime was the ], ] alleged assassination of ] Prime Minister ] | ||
| The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a separatist terrorist group that seeks an independent state in areas in ] inhabited by ethnic ]. (Eelam means homeland in Tamil.) The LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers, have used conventional, ], and terror tactics, including some 200 ], in a bloody, two-decade-old civil war that has claimed more than 60,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans. The U.S. ] lists the LTTE as a foreign ] organization. | |||
| Some of the Tigers’ innovations—such as the “jacket” apparatus worn by individual suicide bombers—have been copied by ], the Lebanese militia ], and Palestinian groups such as ] and the ] Brigades. In its early days, experts say, the LTTE trained with the ], and the group may still come into contact with other terrorist organizations through the illegal arms trade. | |||
| The LTTE is notorious for its suicide bombings. Since the late ]s, the group has conducted some 200 suicide bombings—far more than any other terrorist group. LTTE suicide bombers have attacked civilians on mass transit, at ] shrines, and in office buildings. In October 1997, a suicide truck bomb killed 18 people at the 39-story World Trade Centre in ], Sri Lanka’s capital. | |||
| Beyond suicide bombings, the LTTE have used conventional bombs against political and civilian targets and have gunned down both Sri Lankan officials and civilians. LTTE fighters wear ] capsules around their necks, so they can commit suicide if they are captured. | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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Revision as of 12:40, 10 November 2003
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, is a Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla organization founded in 1976 that has sought to establish an independent state, called Tamil Eelam, in the north-east of Sri Lanka. However, as the country entered a "post-conflict" phase in 2002 and 2003, the LTTE seemed to moderate these demands, seeking instead greater political and economic autonomy within a one-state solution and acknowledging that a military approach was not a viable way to achieve their goals.
The Tamil Tigers' most notorious crime was the May 21, 1991 alleged assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi