Black Tigers

The Black Tigers (Tamil: கரும்புலிகள்) was an elite suicide commando unit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant Tamil separatist organization.

Black Tigers
கரும்புலிகள்
Active5 July 1987 - 18 May 2009
Country Tamil Eelam
BranchLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
TypeCommandos
RoleSuicide Bombing
Raiding
Reconnaissance
Special operations
Urban warfare
Size300-400
Part ofLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
ColorsBlack and Grey
Anniversaries5 July(Regimental day)
EngagementsSri Lankan Civil War
Commanders
Colonel of
the Regiment		Pottu Amman (Tamil militant)
Notable
commanders		Pottu Amman (Tamil militant), Kapil Amman, Ratnam Master †, Colonel Charles†

They were specially selected and trained LTTE cadres whose missions included mounting suicide attacks, military and political targets, among them Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa and former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Since their formation in 1987 until the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in 2009, more than 330 Black Tigers made suicide attacks on air, land and sea, mostly in Sri Lanka.[1]

History
Photo gallery of Black Tigers killed.

The first Black Tiger was Vallipuram Vasanthan, who drove a small truck laden with explosives into a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp in Nelliady, Jaffna peninsula, on 5 July 1987 during the Battle of Nelliady, killing himself and between 39 and 100 Sri Lankan soldiers.[2][3][4] Immediately afterwards, regular LTTE cadres followed up, overwhelming the stunned SLA soldiers. This was a hugely effective retaliatory attack using explosives from the Indian Research and Analysis Wing after the Sri Lankan Army's Operation Liberation had been halted under pressure from the Government of India and the subsequent signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord[5][6][7]

During the earlier phase of the Tamil Tigers' military campaign, it did not possess the heavy conventional weapons required to attack large camps. To mount such an attack, costly weapons such as artillery pieces, missiles, and fighter-bombers would have been needed – weapons that the LTTE could not afford to purchase. As a result, they decided to resort to asymmetric warfare, creating a special wing to make up for their inadequate weaponry.[5][8] Consequently, it is not the act itself—killing by suicide—that was the Black Tigers' original or even main aim, but rather the military impact and its strategic consequences.[5]

After 18 May 2009, following the death of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Black Tigers ceased to exist, along with other LTTE fighting formations.

Notable attacks

In May 1991, a female LTTE cadet blew herself up, killing former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, along with 16 civilians.[9][10]

On 1 May 1993, a male Black Tiger assassinated Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa and 23 others during a May Day parade.[11][12]

On 24 October 1994, the then leader of opposition and Member of Parliament Gamini Dissanayake and five Ministers, several politicians, military and other security personnel were assassinated in a suicide attack carried by a female Black Tiger.[13][14]

On 16 November 1992, a Black Tiger assassinated Admiral Clancy Fernando by driving an explosives laden motorbike into his staff car while he was on his way to naval headquarters at Flagstaff Street in the Galle Buck from his official residence "Navy House" at Longden Place, Colombo after he returned from India after discussing Indo-Sri Lankan naval cooperation. He is the highest ranking officer in the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to be killed by the LTTE.[15]

On 31 January 1996, Black Tigers carried out the Colombo Central Bank bombing that killed 100 civilians and injured 1400 others.[16]

On 25 January 1998, Black Tigers carried out the 1998 Temple of the Tooth attack that killed 17 civilians and injured 25 others.[17][18]

On 14 May 1998, a Black Tiger assassinated Major General Larry Wijeratne on the last day of his duty assignment in Valvettithurai, Jaffna. Wijeratne was attending a Jaffna traders' felicitation lunch just before leaving on transfer as deputy commandant of the Kotelawela Defence Academy before he was killed.[19]

On July 2001, an elite unit of 14 Black Tigers attacked Bandaranaike International Airport, causing an estimated of US$350 million worth of damage to military and civilian aircraft. Tourism in Sri Lanka sharply dropped after the incident.[16]

On 26 June 2006, a Black Tiger assassinated Lieutenant General Parami Kulatunga by driving an explosives-laden motorbike into his Peugeot 406 staff car at Panipitiya as he was on his way to army headquarters from his official quarters at the Panagoda Cantonment. He is the highest ranking army officer to be assassinated by the LTTE.[20]

On 22 October 2007, an elite unit of 21 Black Tigers raided the country's second largest airbase in the heart of the Sinhala cultural capital, Anuradhapura. The government suffered an estimate of $40 million USD worth of damages to military aircraft.[21]

On 6 April 2008, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was assassinated by a Black Tiger who exploded himself at the start of a marathon race which was part of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebration in Weliveriya town. Fernandopulle had been infamous for his ardent nationalistic stance favouring the Sinhala Buddhist majority and had strongly justified the forced eviction of Tamils from Colombo lodges in June 2007. Addressing the media the minister said there was no need for the Prime Minister to express regret over the move and insisted that all 300 Tamils were sent to Vavuniya after getting their 'verbal consent' in Colombo and subsequently written consent in Vavuniya.[22]

On 9 September 2008, an elite unit of 10 Black Tigers raided the joint headquarters of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in Vanni, situated in Vavuniyaa town. According to the casualty figures released by the Sri Lankan military sources, 9 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, 2 Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel and 1 policemen were killed and 26 wounded. The Black Tigers also destroyed the communication facility with its tower, engineering facility, and the anti-aircraft weapon and ammunition stores.[23]

On 6 October 2008, retired Major General Janaka Perera was killed by a Black Tiger who exploded his suicide-vest after embracing the minister during a political rally in Anuradhapura. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and is considered one of the most distinguished generals in Sri Lankan history.[24]

Black Tigers were drawn from the ranks of the LTTE's elite fighting formations. Those who wanted to join wrote letters to Velupillai Prabhakaran, the founder and leader of the LTTE. According to the LTTE, Prabhakaran evaluated the applications, examining the applicant's particular skills, the kinds of missions he or she had been involved in, their motivations and their family situations. All these factors were considered in deciding whether he or she could become a Black Tiger. Those who were the only living child in their family were automatically disqualified from joining.[25]

Modus operandi
LTTE "Black Tigers Day" commemoration, 5 July 2004, at Nelliady, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Up to the defeat of the LTTE, the Black Tigers carried out 100 to 200 missions.

The Black Tigers operated in three distinct ways: conventional combat on land and at sea, guerrilla attacks, and assassinations or bombings.

The majority of these attacks involved military objectives in the north and east of the country.

Relatively, there were fewer operations in the south, where most of the Sinhalese live, especially in the capital city, Colombo, although such attacks often engaged high-profile targets and attracted much international publicity as a result. The last such attack was on government politicians during a Muslim festival.[5]

References
  1. A total of 322 Black Tigers have been killed in action from Captain Miller's death in 1987 until 30 June 2007, according to the Tamil Eelam Heroes Secretariat in Vanni.
  2. Matusitz, Jonathan Andre (2015). Symbolism in terrorism: motivation, communication, and behavior. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-4422-3577-9. OCLC 900725941.
  3. Lahiri, Simanti (2013). Suicide protest in South Asia: consumed by commitment. London. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-415-82099-8. OCLC 876346345.
  4. Hawdon, James; Ryan, John; Lucht, Marc (2016). The causes and consequences of group violence from bullies to terrorists. Maryland. pp. 98, 99. ISBN 978-0-7391-8897-2. OCLC 1200098709.
  5. Gambetta, D. (2005). Making sense of suicide missions. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-19-927699-8.
  6. "Operation Liberation: 25 years on". groundviews.org. Groundviews. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. Wickremesekera, Channa (2016). The Tamil Separatist War in Sri Lanka. Routledge. ISBN 9781317293859.
  8. Schalk, P. (1997). "Resistance and Martyrdom in the Process of State Formation of Tamililam". Martyrdom and Political Resistance: 61–83.
  9. Pavlovic, Zoran (2009). Terrorism and Security. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-60413-282-3. OCLC 981615952.
  10. Morgenstern, Henry; Falk, Ophir (2009). Suicide terror: understanding and confronting the threat. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-470-44777-2. OCLC 1005952043.
  11. Newton, Michael (2014). Famous assassinations in world history : an encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 435. ISBN 978-1-61069-286-1. OCLC 964583676.
  12. Chalk, Peter (2013). Encyclopedia of terrorism. Vol. 1. California: Santa Barbara. p. 594. ISBN 978-0-313-30895-6. OCLC 1089490925.
  13. Fair, C. Christine (2004). Urban battle fields of South Asia lessons learned from Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8330-3682-7. OCLC 1030361116.
  14. Keerawella, Gamini; Samarajiva, Rohan (1 February 1995). "Sri Lanka in 1994: A Mandate for Peace". Asian Survey. 35 (2): 153–159. doi:10.2307/2645024. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2645024 – via JSTOR.
  15. https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/neighbours/story/19921215-ltte-assassinates-vice-admiral-clancy-fernando-weakens-army-offensive-767290-2012-12-21
  16. "Tamil Tigers | Definition, History, Location, Goals, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
  17. "Eleven die in Sri Lankan temple suicide bomb". BBC. BBC News. 25 January 1998. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  18. Nubin, Walter (2003). Sri Lanka : Current Issues and Historical Background. New York: Nova Science Publishers. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-59033-573-4. OCLC 1127759013.
  19. https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=1490
  20. https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18629
  21. https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=23611
  22. https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=25214
  23. https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=26876
  24. https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=27115
  25. De Figueiredo Jr, R.J.P.; Weingast, B.R. (2001). "Vicious Cycles: Endogenous Political Extremism and Political Violence. Institute of Governmental Studies Working Paper, 2001-9". University of California, Berkeley.

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
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