How many Tamil Tigers were there?

Between 1983 and 2009, more than 80,000 were killed in the civil war, of which many were Sri Lankan Tamils….

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Size	18,000, as of 2004, excluding divisions.
Annual revenue	US$200–300 million prior to the military defeat.

Who defeated Tamil Tigers?

the Sri Lankan military
After a 26-year military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009, bringing the civil war to an end. An estimated 70,000 had been killed by 2007.

Why did the Tamil Tigers start?

The LTTE was established in 1976 by Velupillai Prabhakaran as the successor to an organization he had formed earlier in the 1970s. In 1983, after the killing of 13 soldiers by Tamil guerrillas and retaliatory attacks by the Sri Lankan military, large-scale violence erupted between the government and the LTTE.

What religion are the Tamil Tigers?

Their religion (most are Hindu) and Tamil language set them apart from the four-fifths of Sri Lankans who are Sinhalese—members of a largely Buddhist, Sinhala-speaking ethnic group.

What is the religion of the Tamil Tigers?

In 1972, the Sinhalese-controlled Sri Lankan government declared Sinhala and Buddhism the official language and religion. The Tamils, who practice Hinduism and have their own language, took this action as an affront, and Vellupillai Prabhakaran founded the Tigers soon after.

What happened to the Tamil Tigers?

One rebel group, called the Tamil Tigers, emerged as the most effective guerrilla group advocating for independence. The war broke out in 1983 after the rebels ambushed and killed 13 Sri Lankan soldiers. In retaliation, thousands of Tamils were brutally stabbed, burned and beaten to death by Sinhalese civilians.

Who is the leader of the Tamil Tigers?

AFP / Gety. Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Tamil Tigers, stands in front of an eternal flame at an undisclosed location in northern Sri Lanka .