LTTE Black Tiger
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The Black Tigers are special operatives of the LTTE (proscribed as a terrorist organization by 32 countries including India and the United States) that commit suicide if needed to reach their nationalistic objectives. They are considered to be one of the most lethal and effective suicide groups in the world. More than 330 Black Tigers have died in various actions on land and sea, almost all in Sri Lanka.[1] Their victims include former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
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[edit] History
The first LTTE Black Tiger was Vallipuram Vasanthan, who drove a small truck laden with explosives into a Sri Lanka Army camp in Nelliady, Jaffna peninsula, on 5 July 1987, killing himself and 18 Sri Lankan soldiers. Notable Black Tiger operations are the suicide bombing of the late Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi by a female cadre, resulting in the deaths of herself, the PM and 16 bystanders. The late Sri Lankan president Ranasinghe Premadasa was also assassinated by an LTTE operative, killing 23 others nearby. A female cadre was also responsible for the 1999 assassination attempt on Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who survived the attack but lost an eye.
[edit] Black Tigers today
The LTTE are keeping the Black Tiger unit active, as witnessed by their commemoration ceremonies of "Black Tigers Day" on July 5th. The Tiger unit get extensive training but are then believed to return to their previous unit, without revealing their new assignment. They will then be called up if needed, and if so will have a last meal with the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
The Black Tigers are believed to be the most effective unit of its kind in the world, as with the rest of the LTTE, it is also secular, not driven by religious fanaticism. The creation of the Black Tigers is based on the LTTE's studies of Asymmetric warfare; thus using suicide cadres balance the government's greater resources. There are also maritime Black Tigers, who use small fiberglass boats loaded with explosives that ram Sri Lanka Navy vessels. Suicide attacks have also been executed by divers, swimming into the Kankesanturai naval base in the Jaffna peninsula and blowing up a large merchant vessel. Though more recently, suicide attack have been increasingly prevented by proper counter-terrorism measures undertaken by the Sri Lankan government.
The LTTE may also have airborne Black Tigers; it is believed that the five microplanes at Iranamadu may belong to such a force. No airborne Black Tiger attack has yet been attempted.
After their death the cadres families are cared for by the LTTE and the cadre's photo is listed in the "Black Tigers Day" commemoration. The extensive training of their suicide units separates the Black Tigers from other suicide bombers around the world.
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Balasingham, Anton. (2004) War and Peace - Armed Struggle and Peace Efforts of Liberation Tigers, Fairmax Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-903679-05-2
- Narayan Swamy, M. R. (2002) Tigers of Lanka: from Boys to Guerrillas, Konark Publishers; 3rd ed. ISBN 81-220-0631-0
- Pratap, Anita. (2001) Island of Blood: Frontline Reports From Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Other South Asian Flashpoints. Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-200366-2
- de Votta, Neil. (2004) Blowback: Linguistic Nationalism, Institutional Decay, and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka. Stanford University Press, ISBN 0-8047-4924-8
- Pape, Robert A. (2005) Dying to Win : The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. Random House. ISBN 1-4000-6317-5
- Sri Kantha, Sachi (2005) "Pirabhakaran Phenomenon", Lively COMET Imprint, ISBN 1-57087-671-1
[edit] External links
- Photo Gallery of Black Tigers from tamiltigers.net
- Chronology of Suicide Bomb attacks by the LTTE in Sri Lanka
- How LTTE select and train its suicide bombers, from Time
- BBC online on LTTE Black Tigers
- IPCS on Black Tigers
- Asian Times on Black Tigers
- Hindustan Times correspondent PK Balachandran on LTTE Black Tigers
