List of attacks attributed to the LTTE

The following is a list of chronological attacks attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers.^[1][2][3] The attacks include massacres, bombings, robberies, ethnic cleansing, military battles and assassinations of civilian and military targets. The LTTE is a separatist militant group that fought for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka between 1976 and 2009. The rebel group has been banned by 33 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the 27 member nations of the European Union.

In opposition to this list, there is also the List of attacks on civilians attributed to Sri Lankan government forces.

Notable and deadliest attacks*

Attack	Date	Location	Death toll	Sources
1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers	11 June 1990	Eastern Province	600–774 Police officers	[4][5]
Battle of Mullaitivu (1996)	18 July 1996	Northern Province	1,498 officers and soldiers KIA or MIA (including unknown number of surrendered per the military, 50 police and 80 civilians)	[6][7][8][9][10]
1987 Eastern Province massacres	29 September 1987 – 8 October 1987	Eastern Province	200+	[11]
Kattankudy mosque massacre	3 August 1990	Kattankudy, Batticaloa District	147	[12]
Anuradhapura massacre	14 May 1985	Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura District	146	[13]
Habarana bus massacre	17 April 1987	Habarana, Anuradhapura District	127	[14]
October 1995 Eastern Sri Lanka massacres	16 October 1995	Eastern Province	120
Eravur massacre	11 August 1990	Eravur, Batticaloa District	116-173	[15][16]
Central Bus Station Bombing	21 April 1987	Pettah, Colombo, Colombo District	113	[17]
Palliyagodella massacre	15 October 1991	Palliyagodella, Polonnaruwa District	109	[14][18]
2006 Digampathana bombing	16 October 2006	Digampathaha, Matale District	99–103 soldiers	[19][20]
Central Bank bombing	31 January 1996	Colombo, Colombo District	91	[21]
Alanchipothana massacre	29 April 1992	Alanchipothana, Polonnaruwa District	69	[22]
Kurukkalmadam massacre	13 July 1990	Kurukkalmadam, Batticaloa District	68-168	[23][24][25]
Kebithigollewa massacre	15 June 2006	Kebithigollewa, Anuradhapura District	66	[26]
Dehiwala train bombing (1996)	24 July 1996	Dehiwala, Colombo District	64	[27]
Kanthan Karunai massacre	30 March 1987	Jaffna, Jaffna District	63	[28]
Kent and Dollar Farm massacres	30 November 1984	Mullaitivu District	62	[29]
JOC bombing	21 June 1991	Flower Road, Colombo	60	[30]
Lionair Flight 602	29 September 1998	off the coast of Mannar District	55	[31]
Gonagala massacre	18 September 1999	Gonagala, Ampara District	54	[32]
Assassination of Gamini Dissanayake Ossie Abeyagoonasekera	24 October 1994	Thotalanga, Colombo	52	[33][34]
Mahakongaskada massacre	10 October 1988	Medawachchiya, Anuradhapura District	44	[35]
Kallarawa massacre	25 May 1995	Kallarawa, Trincomalee District	42	[36]
Aranthalawa Massacre	2 July 1987	Aranthalawa, Ampara District	35	[37]
Erakkandy massacre	2 July 1997	Erakkandy, Trincomalee District	34	[38][39]
Bogamuyaya massacre	23 January 1991	Bogamuyaya, Ampara District	29	[40]
Buttala bus bomb	16 January 2008	Buttala, Monaragala District	28	[41]
2008 Piliyandala bus bombing	25 April 2008	Piliyandala, Colombo	26	[42]
2008 Moratuwa bus bombing	6 June 2008	Katubedda, Moratuwa	23	[43]
Assassination of C. V. Gunaratne	8 June 2000	Ratmalana, Colombo District	22	[44][45]
Air Lanka Flight 512	3 May 1986	Bandaranaike International Airport, Gampaha District	21	[46]
Havelock Road bombing/Assassination of Ranjan Wijeratne	2 March 1991	Havelock Road, Colombo	19	[47]
1998 Temple of the Tooth attack	25 January 1998	Temple of the Tooth, Kandy	17	[21][48][49]
Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi	21 May 1991	Sriperumbudur, Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, India	15	[50][51]
1997 Colombo World Trade Centre bombing	15 October 1997	Colombo, Colombo District	15	[52]
2007 Sri Lankan bus bombs	6 January 2007	Hikkaduwa, Galle District	15	[53]
Akuressa suicide bombing	10 March 2009	Akuressa, Matara District	14	[54]
Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa	1 May 1993	Armour Street, Colombo	11	[55][56]
Fort railway station bombing	3 February 2008	Fort railway station, Colombo	11	[57]
Kokilai massacre	1 December 1984	Kokilai, Mullaitivu District	11
Gomarankadawala massacre	23 April 2006	Gomarankadawala, Trincomalee District	6	[58]
2009 suicide air raid on Colombo	20 February 2009	Colombo, Colombo District	2 LTTE pilots	[59]

Notes

*.^ This is not the complete list, refer to the attacks by decades for a complete list of attacks

Attacks by decade

Below are the deadliest attacks from each decade.

1970s

Main article: List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 1970s

1979

Date	Attack	Location	Sinhalese	Tamils	Muslims	Death toll	Sources
	S. A. Emmanuel of Chankanai, Thaadi Thangarajah of Kondavil, A. Krishnagol of Velvettiturai, T. Poopalasingham of Chunnakam and A. Sivarajah of Thondamannar are executed by the LTTE for providing evidence against them to the police.	Jaffna District		5		5	[60]
	PC Gnanasambandan, PC Sivanesan, Inspector Guruswamy, S. Swarnarajah and his wife are executed by the LTTE.	Jaffna District		5		5	[60]

1980s

Main article: List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 1980s

1985

Date	Attack	Location	Sinhalese	Tamils	Muslims	Death toll	Sources
14 May	Anuradhapura massacre: LTTE gunmen shoot dead 146 Sinhalese civilians and injure 85 others as they were praying at Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, a sacred Buddhist shrine in Anuradhapura.	Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura District	146			146	[61]

1990s

Main article: List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 1990s

1990

Date	Attack	Location	Sinhalese	Tamils	Muslims	Death toll	Sources
11 June	1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers: Over 600 unarmed police officers are shot dead by the LTTE in Police Stations across eastern Sri Lanka	Eastern Province				600–774	[4][5][62]
3 August	Kattankudy mosque massacre: 147 Muslim males were gunned down in two mosque during evening prayers by the LTTE.	Kattankudy			147	147	[63]
11 August	1990 Eravur massacre: Dozens of Muslim villagers killed by the LTTE in Eravur.	Eravur			116-173	116-173	[15][64][65]

2000s

Main article: List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 2000s

2006

Date	Attack	Location	Sinhalese	Tamils	Muslims	Death toll	Sources
16 October	2006 Digampathana bombing: A suicide bomber in a truck kills 103 Sri Lanka Navy sailors on buses going on, or returning from, leave at a transit point and wounds over 150 other sailors. Several civilians may also have died.	Digampathana, North Central Province	103			103	[66]

Attacks by type

Suicide bombings

Main article: Suicide bombings in Sri Lanka

Assassinations

Main article: List of people assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

See also

• List of attacks on civilians attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
• List of people assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam