What is LTTE?

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil: தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள்; commonly known as the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers) is a militant organization based in northern Founded in May 1976, it waged a violent secessionist campaign that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. This campaign had evolved into the Sri Lankan Civil War, one of the longest running armed conflicts in Asia, until the LTTE was militarily defeated by the Sri Lanka Army in May 2009. Since its inception, and until his death, the LTTE was headed by its founder, Velupillai Prabhakaran. The Tamil Tigers are currently proscribed as a terrorist organization by 32 countries (see list of countries).