The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that was based in northeastern homelands of Tamils founded in May 1976 by Velupillai Prabhakaran to create an independent state of Tamil Eelam in the north and east of Sri Lanka for people. This campaign led to the Sri Lankan Civil War, which ran from 1983 until 2009, when the LTTE was eventually militarily defeated during the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Due to its military victories, policies, call for national self-determination and constructive Tamil nationalist platform, the LTTE was supported by major sections of the Tamil community.
At the height of its power, the LTTE possessed a well-developed militia and carried out many high-profile militant attacks. Velupillai Prabhakaran headed the organisation from its inception until his death in 2009. The LTTE was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by 32 countries, including the European Union, United States, and India.
At the start of the final round of peace talks in 2002, the Tamil Tigers controlled a 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi) area. After the breakdown of the peace process in 2006, the Sri Lankan military launched a major offensive against the Tigers, defeating the LTTE militarily and bringing the entire country under its control. Human rights groups criticised the nature of the victory which included the internment of Tamil civilians in concentration camps with little or no access to outside agencies. Victory over the Tigers was declared by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 16 May 2009, and the LTTE admitted defeat on 17 May 2009.
