For over 25 years , the LTTE waged war in Sri Lanka to create an independent state for the Sri Lankan Tamil people . Founded in 1976 , the LTTE rocketed to prominence in 1983 after they ambushed a patrol of the Sri Lanka Army outside Jaffna , resulting in the deaths of 13 soldiers . This ambush , along with the subsequent rioting which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Tamil civilians , is generally considered the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War . After years of fighting , including the intervention of the Indian Army ( IPKF ) , the conflict was halted after international mediation in 2001 . By then , the LTTE also known as the '' Tamil Tigers '' controlled large swathes of land in the north and east of the country , running a de facto state with Prabhakaran serving as its leader . Peace talks eventually broke down , and the Sri Lanka Army launched a military campaign to defeat the Tamil Tigers in 2006
subsequent rioting
Black July
Velupillai Prabhakaran