Incident Summary:
10/22/2007: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) conducted a two-pronged simultaneous air and ground raid on the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) Base at Saliyapura in Anuradhapura, in the North Central Province in Sri Lanka. The incident started at about 3:20am when about 21 LTTE suicide commandos from the "Black Tigers" unit struck the airbase, then joined by two planes of the Tamil Eelam Air Force which dropped bombs on the grounded SLAF aircrafts, altogether destroying a Beechcraft surveillance plane worth $28.7 million, two Russian built MI-24 helicopter gunships, one MI-17 attack chopper, one PT-6, one Bell-212 chopper, a reconnaissance plane, and a CTH-748. Additionally, 9 soldiers and 4 SLAF airman in a helicopter searching for the LLTE perpetrators were killed in the battle. An ammunition storage depot was also blown up and the base runway damaged by the commandoes. It is believed that 20 of the LTTE commandoes were either killed by Sri Lankan security forces in the attack, or otherwise committed suicide to avoid falling prey to Sri Lankan security. Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan claimed the incident while speaking to TamilNet.
Overview
GTD ID:
200710220014
When:
2007-10-22
Country:
Sri Lanka
Region:
South Asia
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
North Central
City:
Saliyapura
Location Details:
at the Sri Lankan Air Force base at Saliyapura in Anuradhapura in the North Central Province
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Armed Assault |
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Military |
Name of Entity |
Sri Lankan Air Force |
Specific Description |
Sri Lankan Air Force base in Anuradhapura, aircrafts, personnel, ammunition depot |
Nationality of Target |
Sri Lanka |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
Value of Property Damage |
$28,700,000.00 |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Suicide (carried bodily by human being) |
Explosives |
Unknown Explosive Type |
Firearms |
Other Gun Type |
Weapon Details |
bombs and anti-aircraft guns |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | Yes |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
No |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
Yes |
Alternate Designation () |
Insurgency/Guerilla Action |
Additional Information |
According to the LTTE themselves, the specifics of their personnel involved in the two-pronged raid included: two Lieutenant-Colonels, six Majors, 12 Captains and one Lieutenant rank (all Black Tiger members), a Lieutenant-Colonel who led an attack team was from Trincomalee, two of the members, a Major and a Captain, were from Batticaloa, one from Mullaiththeevu, one from Mannaar, three from Ki'linochchi and eleven members from Jaffna. Three Captains were women. It is suspected that the attack was "launched by the LTTE in retaliation for the recent operations of the Sri Lankan Navy against the transport ships of the LTTE and the air strikes of the SLAF over LTTE positions in the Northern Province." It is believed that at least 20 of the LTTE commandoes were either killed by Sri Lankan security forces in the attack, or otherwise committed suicide to avoid falling prey to Sri Lankan security. Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan claimed the incident while talking to TamilNet. |
Who
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
21 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
33 Fatalities |
Total Number of Fatalities |
33 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
20 |
Total Number of Injured |
Unknown |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
Unknown |
Sources
Sources
PK.Balachandran, "Tigers bomb air force base," Hindustan Times, October 22, 2007. |
"Indian Analyst Says Attack on Sri Lankan Air Base Shows LTTE's 'Sophistication'," New Delhi outlook, Danish Defense Intelligence Service Terrorism Newsletter, October 23, 2007. |
"LTTE Attacks Sri Lankan Air Base," TamilNet, Danish Defense Intelligence Service Terrorism Newsletter, October 22, 2007. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties