The Formative Years
Vellupillai Prabhakaran at the age of 18 forms the Tamil New Tigers in 1972 to pursue Eelam through violent means. He carries out his first political assassination killing the mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiyappa in 1975. In 1976 renames his organisation the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Eliminating Rivals

India begins training Tamil militants and Prabhakaran decides to assert his supremacy by eliminating his rivals. In 1983 he is arrested by Madras police for injuring Uma Maheswaran.

Taking on the IPKF

Prabhakaran reneges on the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord and the IPKF launches operations against the LTTE. In 1991 the Tigers assasinate former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Reign of Terror

Tigers eliminate key Sri Lankan leaders including President Ranasinghe Premadasa (1993), former security minister Lalit Athulathmudali and opposition leader Gamini Dissanayake.

Return of the Tigers

After being ejected from Jaffna by the Sri Lankan forces in 1995, the Tigers strike back by overrunning a key military base at Mullaitivu in 1996 and in the following years go on to capture large sections of the A-9 highway.

War and Peace

In July 2001, the Tigers carry out a daring raid at the Katunayake air base near Colombo destroying 13 aircraft.
But 9/11 forces them to explore political options.