Background of the Tamil Tigers
The LTTE was founded by Velupillai Prabhaskaran on 5th May 1976 when it’s predecessor, the “Tamil New Tigers” was disbanded. One of the aims of the Tamil Tigers was to “refashion the old Tnt/new LTTE into an elite, ruthlessly efficient, and highly professional fighting force” as quoted by sources. The Tamil Tigers were selective in who they chose to join their group – they wanted to maintain high standards, and knew that only a few people had the capability to join a militant organization such as theirs. Because of this, the Tamil Tigers were a relatively small militant organization. With the group’s military training, the Tamil Tigers sought to carry out low-key attacks on a plethora of government targets, which included politicians and policemen.
The LTTE carried out its first major attack on 23 July 1983, when it ambushed Sri Lanka Army patrol Four Four Bravo at Thirunelveli, Jaffna. Thirteen Sri Lankan servicemen were killed in the attack, leading to the day being known as “Black July”. The attack shook the nation and caused waves in more ways than one. An increasing number of angry Tamil youths joined the Tamil Tigers in an attempt to fight the Sri Lankan government for equality, and this is widely believed to be the start of insurgency in Sri Lanka.