The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, are a militant Tamil nationalist organization that has engaged in a secessionist campaign since the 1970s in order to create a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers are currently proscribed as a terrorist organization by 32 countries.
The Tamil Tigers are notorious for their well-developed militia cadre, atrocities against Muslim and Sinhalese civilians, and high profile attacks, such as the assassination of several high ranking Sri Lankan politicians, and the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. They also have the distinction of introducing suicide bombings as a tactic, and have carried out more suicide bombings than Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Al-Qaeda combined. The LTTE are the only rebel organization with aircraft.