In December 2006 Sri Lankan government officials announced their plans to drive the LTTE out of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka , and then use the full strength of the military to defeat the LTTE in the north of the country . The government stated that LTTE was firing artillery towards civilian settlements in the east and were using 35,000 people as human shields . These claims were later backed up by civilians in the area , who told reporters that they were held by force by the Tamil Tigers . On 7 November 2006 , amidst conflicting claims , over 45 Tamil civilians were killed in what is known as the Vaharai bombing
Vaharai bombing
Vaharai bombing
Sri Lankan Civil War