Satinder Bindra
CNN
Posted Sunday , October 29, 2006 at 19:27
Updated Sunday , October 29, 2006 at 20:03
LTTE THREAT: Sri Lankan army launching an offensive against the LTTE in early 1990s.
CNN traces the origins of suicide bombing – now called the island's most famous export.
Another suicide attack an all too common occurrence regularly played out on TV screens around the world.
The recent one took place on the tiny South Asian island nation of
The Sri Lankan army has been battling a smaller 7,000 strong, but highly motivated, fighting force – the Tamil tigers.
Along with their military skills, the Tigers are adept at spreading their message on the Internet with videos.
The Tigers say they are justified in using military means to establish a homeland for the country's largest minority, the nearly four million strong Tamil community.
But the
Experts even credit the tigers with writing the book on suicide bombings – now one of the most frequently used terror techniques around the world.
Terror Analyst Brendan O'Duffy says, “The suicide belt was pioneered by the Tamil Tigers. They also pioneered naval attacks against large ships, which have also been copied by other organisations. And they have a very sophisticated use of vehicle bombs, cars, trucks, even bicycles to deliver explosives.”
The video, which was shot by Sri Lankan state television in 1993, shows the country's then president Ranasinghe Premadasa at a rally. Moments later, he was assassinated by a tiger who blew himself up just a few feet away.
The photo taken in 1991 shows a female Tamil Tiger just inches away from former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Seconds later she detonated her bomb, killing him and herself.
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