Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

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Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly the Tamil Tigers, was a Sri Lankan separatist guerrilla movement advocating the creation of a state for the Tamil minority. The Tigers were headed since the early 1970s by Velupillai Prabhakaran until he was killed and beheaded by the Sri Lankan army in 2009. They were allegedly involved in the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India.

The LTTE is a rare example of a secular group that has used suicide bombing as a tactic.[1] Religious apologists have cited the LTTE, along with Imperial Japan, as an argument against the claim that suicide bombings are religiously motivated. Although the LTTE was a secular organisation, its members were free to hold whatever beliefs they see fit.

The LTTE was also an equal opportunities employer, with women engaging in active military service, including the aforementioned suicide attacks. They were arguably the most innovative extremist group, having pioneered many techniques such as suicide bombings. In 2009 the LTTE conceded military defeat, ending more than 25 years of civil war.[2]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. In fact, many consider them the pioneers of suicide bombing.
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8055138.stm
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