Hamas copies LTTE's most recent tactic of hiding behind civilians

by Malin Abeyatunge

(Janury 10, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists are in the forefront in introducing new innovations to the Global terrorism. Among them, suicide bomber kit and specially designed vest for women suicide bombers stand out. LTTE then showed the terrorist world the way to commit massive explosion to buildings with maximum fatalities by getting suicide bombers to drive trucks laden with explosives. LTTE tested this on Central Bank building claiming over hundred innocent lives and maiming over thousand civilians. This tactic has subsequently been copied by terrorist outfits in Pakistan, India, Iraq, Bali, Afghanistan Talibans and Hamas to name a few.

The latest tactic introduced by LTTE is the use of innocent civilians as human shields in the Eastern and Northern war operations against the armed forces. In Wanni-Kilinochchi operations alone, LTTE is forcibly holding thousands of civilian population as human shields. Despite the pressure from the Government to release the civilians held forcibly and the international community, LTTE continues to hide among innocent civilians of whom most of them are older men, under aged children and women in their fight against the armed forces.

LTTE’s use of civilians as human shields may be two fold. One is to replace their daily replenishing fighting cadre. The other reason is to get the innocent civilians killed in cross fire and in air attacks in order bring disrepute to Sri Lankan armed forces in the eyes of the international community with vested interests. But unfortunately, LTTE has miserably failed to accomplish the second reason as the Government forces are very diligent and determined to have zero casualties among the civilians in their war against LTTE terrorists. This new tactic is now being adopted by Hamas where they hide behind the civilians and attacking Israel (purpose of this letter is not to find out who is right or wrong in Israel-Gaza crisis) and already over five hundred innocent civilians have got killed by Israel bombardment against Hamas hide outs. Hamas has been successful in getting majority of the international community condemning Israel killing civilians in Gaza. LTTE in fact would have expected same response from the international community to condemn Sri Lankan forces if any civilians get killed but our Govt forces have captured Eastern province and Wanni-Killinochchi with almost zero civilian casualties. So the International Community and the so called humanitarian organizations like HRW and AI could not point their fingers at our armed forces for human rights violation. Thus, using innocent civilians is LLTE Tamil Tigers’ latest innovation to the global terrorism and Hamas has already copied it and other terrorist groups will follow suite soon.- Sri Lanka Guardian