LTTE marks 20th ann of its deadly Black Tigers

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Colombo, July 5: The Tamil Tiger rebels are today commemorating the 20th anniversary of their deadliest weapon, the Black Tigers, who threw themselves as human bombs to hit military as well as political targets in the island nation, and elsewhere.

Heavily armed government troops are placed on high alert mainly in and around the capital city and throughout the country to prevent any untoward incidents.

A pro-LTTE Tamil language website, puthinam.com, reported that the Tigers have lost 322 Black Tigers till June 27 this year. Of the total number of Black Tigers killed, 241 had been killed in sea battles while the remaining 81 cadres had been killed in land battles, the web report said.

It was exactly 20 years ago a senior LTTE cadre, 'Captain' Millar drove an explosive-laden truck into a Sri Lankan military camp at Nelliyadi School in Vadamaradchchi in the northern Jaffna peninsula, killing 40 soldiers. They carried out a number of similar attacks since then using their suicide cadres.

If the LTTE can boast about its Black Tiger unit in waging its military campaign against the government forces for the past couple of decades, it is the same unit that also contributed immensely in getting the outfit banned in several foreign countries.

The group was held responsible for the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, who had ordered Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to disarm the Tigers in 1987.

This resulted in the Indian government banning the Tigers in India. Several other countries, including the US, the UK and few other European countries had followed suit in later years, demanding the Tigers to denounce violence.

The guerrillas themselves mark Black Tiger day with religious services and by displaying photographs of hundreds of Black Tiger suicide in areas under their control.

UNI

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