Suicide Bombing was a popular tactic of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of attacking enemies to maximize enemy casualties and minimize attacker's casualties.
According to Jane's Information Group, between 1980 and 2000, the LTTE carried out 168 suicide attacks causing heavy damage to mainly military targets, but in some cases also to economic and civilian targets.[1]
History
The first prominent suicide bombing by the LTTE occurred in 1987 when Captain Miller drove a truck laden with explosives into a Sri Lankan army camp killing 40 soldiers.[2][3] He is heralded by the LTTE as the first Black Tiger.
By LTTE
The Sri Lankan economy and the Sri Lankan Army have been targeted on numerous occasions, including during a high-profile attack on Colombo's International Airport (Bandaranaike Airport attack) in 2001 that caused damage to several commercial airliners and military jets .
On 31 January 1996, the LTTE's Black Tigers carried out the Colombo Central Bank bombing that killed 100 people and injured 1400 others.[4]
The LTTE was also responsible for a 1998 attack on the Buddhist shrine, and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy that killed 8 worshippers. The attack was symbolic in that the shrine, which houses a sacred tooth of the Buddha, is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka.[5]
The LTTE's Black Tigers have carried out the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed in 1991 using a prototype suicide vest, and Ranasinghe Premadasa, assassinated in 1993.[6]
Easter Sunday bombings
On Easter Sunday (21 April) 2019, approximately 250 people died in six separate suicide bombings in churches and hotels. The local group National Thowheeth Jama'ath, was suspected.[7]
List of suicide attacks
| Attack | Date | Location | Death toll | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinking of SLNS Sagarawardena | 20 September 1994 | Off the coast of Mannar, North Western Province | 25 | |
| 1997 Colombo World Trade Centre bombing | 15 October 1997 | Colombo, Western Province | 15 | |
| 1998 Temple of the Tooth attack | 25 January 1998 | Kandy, Central Province | 17 | |
| Assassination of Neelan Tiruchelvam | 29 July 1999 | Colombo, Western Province | 3 | |
| Central Bank bombing | 31 January 1996 | Colombo, Western Province | 91 | |
| 2006 Digampathana bombing | 16 October 2006 | Digampathaha, Dambulla North Central Province (Army Personal) | 92–103 | |
| 2008 Weliveriya bombing | 6 April 2008 | Weliveriya, Western Province | 15 | |
| 2008 Fort Railway Station bombing | 3 February 2008 | Colombo Fort, Western Province | 12 | |
| Suicide Air Raid on Colombo | 20 February 2009 | Colombo, Western Province | 2 | |
| Akuressa suicide bombing | 10 March 2009 | Akuressa, Southern Province | 14 | |
| 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings | 21 April 2019 | Negombo, Batticaloa, and Colombo (including Kochchikade, Dehiwala, and Dematagoda suburbs) | 253 |
See also
References
- ↑ "Sri Lanka (LTTE) Historical Background". IISS Armed Conflict Database. International Institute for Strategic Studies. 2003. Archived from the original on 12 January 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ↑ Secrets of their success
- ↑ Suicide bombers feared and revered
- ↑ "Tamil Tigers | Definition, History, Location, Goals, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
- ↑ "LTTE's bomb Attack - Sri Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka". Society for Peace, Unity and human Rights in Sri Lanka. January 1998. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
- ↑ "Suicide terrorism: a global threat". Jane's Information Group. 20 October 2000. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka attacks: Death toll soars to 290 after bombings hit churches and hotels". BBC News. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.