2009 suicide air raid on Colombo
| 2009 suicide air raid on Colombo | |
|---|---|
Colombo district within Sri Lanka
|
|
| Location | Colombo and near Katunayake International Airport, in Sri Lanka. |
| Date | February 20, 2009 9:46 pm – 10:30 pm (UTC+5.30) |
|
Attack type
|
Murder-suicide, Suicide attack |
| Deaths | 4 (including both pilots) |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
58+ |
| Perpetrators | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. |
The 2009 suicide air raid on Colombo was an unsuccessfulkamikaze-style suicide attack launched by the air wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on February 20, 2009, targeting military locations in and around Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is speculated that the attacks were intended to be similar to the September 11 attacks, where aircraft were used as flying bombs and crashed directly into their targets. However the attacks failed as the Sri Lanka Air Force detected the two explosive packed aircraft and shot them down before they reached their targets. On the ground, two people died and over 50 were injured as a result of the attacks.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers, was a separatist militant organization that was fighting to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Between 1983 and 2009, they engaged in violent conflict with the military of Sri Lanka, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 people. During their campaign, the Tamil Tigers used a variety of controversial tactics, including the extensive use of suicide bombers and suicide jackets. The Tamil Tigers are designated as a terrorist organization by 32 countries, including the United States, Canada, and the member nations of the European Union.
By 2002, the Tamil Tigers controlled an area of approximately 15,000 km2 in north and east Sri Lanka. At the time, facing increasing losses on the battlefield and international pressure to stop the fighting, both sides were persuaded to engage in internationally mediated peace talks. The much-hyped peace process carried on until July 2006, when the Tamil Tigers blocked a canal supplying water to an area under the control of the Sri Lankan government. The Sri Lanka Army initially launched an offensive to reopen the canal, and captured the waterway two weeks later. After the success of the operation, the Sri Lankan military expanded their offensive, gaining control of the entire Eastern Province in mid-2007, and confining the LTTE to an area of approximately 100 km2 by February 2009.
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