During their 32-year campaign for an independent Tamil homeland, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have achieved a number of innovations that could change the face of rebel warfare.
More than 64,000 Sri Lankans, out of a population of 21 million, have died in the conflict.
In 1984, the LTTE in 1984 established its maritime "Sea Tigers" wing, which has been responsible for sinking 29 Sri Lankan naval gunboats and a freighter. The Sea Tigers include a division of frogmen that have been deployed in attacks on the Sri Lankan naval base at Kankesanturai in the northern Jaffna peninsula.
Three years after forming the Sea Tigers, the rebel group established its notorious "Black Tigers" suicide bombers' wing, which has killed hundreds, including more than 270 rebels. In the latest such attack on 24 May, a Black Tiger suicide bomber on an explosive-laden motorized bicycle rammed a bus carrying army personnel in the capital Colombo, killing two soldiers and wounding five others.
In yet another new form of combat for the LTTE, on 25 March of this year, rebel aircraft of the Tamileelam Air Force (TAF), or "Vaanpuliga," conducted a nighttime raid on Katunayake, the Sri Lankan Air Force's main base, which shares a runway with Colombo's Bandaranayake International Airport. The following month, on 29 April, the rebels' Czech-made ZLIN Z 143 aircraft conducted another nighttime raid on two oil storage facilities some 10 kilometers north of Colombo.
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More than 64,000 Sri Lankans, out of a population of 21 million, have died in the conflict.
In 1984, the LTTE in 1984 established its maritime "Sea Tigers" wing, which has been responsible for sinking 29 Sri Lankan naval gunboats and a freighter. The Sea Tigers include a division of frogmen that have been deployed in attacks on the Sri Lankan naval base at Kankesanturai in the northern Jaffna peninsula.
Three years after forming the Sea Tigers, the rebel group established its notorious "Black Tigers" suicide bombers' wing, which has killed hundreds, including more than 270 rebels. In the latest such attack on 24 May, a Black Tiger suicide bomber on an explosive-laden motorized bicycle rammed a bus carrying army personnel in the capital Colombo, killing two soldiers and wounding five others.
In yet another new form of combat for the LTTE, on 25 March of this year, rebel aircraft of the Tamileelam Air Force (TAF), or "Vaanpuliga," conducted a nighttime raid on Katunayake, the Sri Lankan Air Force's main base, which shares a runway with Colombo's Bandaranayake International Airport. The following month, on 29 April, the rebels' Czech-made ZLIN Z 143 aircraft conducted another nighttime raid on two oil storage facilities some 10 kilometers north of Colombo.
more>>
