2009 suicide air raid on Colombo
Encyclopedia
The 2009 suicide air raid on Colombo was an unsuccessful kamikaze
style suicide attack
launched by the air wing
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
on February 20, 2009, targeting military locations in and around Colombo
, Sri Lanka
. The attacks were speculated to be intended to be similar to the September 11 attacks, where aircraft were used as flying bomb
s and crashed directly into their targets. However the attacks failed as the Sri Lanka Air Force detected the two explosive packed aircraft and shot them down before they reached their targets. On the ground, two people died and over fifty were injured as a result of the attacks.
state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Between 1983 and 2009, they engaged in violent conflict
with the military of Sri Lanka, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 people. During their campaign, the Tamil Tigers used a variety of controversial tactics, including the extensive use of suicide bombers. They were credited with inventing the suicide jacket, which has since been copied by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and by Iraqi insurgents. The Tamil Tigers are designated as a terrorist organization by 32 countries, including the United States
, Canada
, and the member nations of the European Union
.
By 2002, the Tamil Tigers controlled an area of approximately 15,000 km2 in north and east Sri Lanka. At the time, facing increasing losses on the battlefield and international pressure to stop the fighting, both sides were persuaded to engage in internationally mediated peace talks. The much-hyped peace process carried on until July 2006, when the Tamil Tigers blocked a canal supplying water to an area under the control of the Sri Lankan government. The Sri Lanka Army initially launched an offensive to reopen the canal, and captured the waterway two weeks later. After the success of the operation, the Sri Lankan military expanded their offensive, gaining control of the entire Eastern Province in mid-2007, and confining the LTTE to an area of approximately 100 km2 by February 2009.
The first reports of aircraft being in the possession of the LTTE came in 1998, when the pro-LTTE website TamilNet
reported that a Tiger aircraft sprinkled flowers over a cemetery in Mullaithivu. However the LTTE did not use aircraft as offensive weapons until March 2007, when they launched a surprise attack against Colombo using light aircraft to drop a bomb on the main airbase of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The LTTE are believed to have smuggled a number of light aircraft into Sri Lanka during the 2002–06 ceasefire period, and were first detected by UAV
s of the Sri Lanka Air Force in 2005. Up to February 2009, the LTTE carried out seven other air attacks against government targets, with the Air Force claiming to have shot down a Tamil Tiger aircraft on one occasion.
The LTTE are believed to have used Zlín Z 143 aircraft, which are manufactured in the Czech Republic
, for their attacks. The Z-143 is a single engine, low-winged monoplane
, mainly used for training purposes. It is normally a four-seater, but is modified by the LTTE to carry four bombs on its undercarriage. The Tamil Tigers are the only group known to use Z-143s for military purposes.
in the Mullaithivu District, and were sighted by Sri Lanka Army personnel operating along the front lines around 8:30 pm. The aircraft were soon detected by a Sri Lanka Air Force radar installation at Vavuniya
. The aircraft, which had switched off their lights to avoid detection, proceeded towards Mannar
and then southwards towards Colombo. 20 minutes after the detection of the aircraft, an F-7 interceptor
of the Sri Lanka Air Force was scrambled to intercept the planes, but was unable to do so due to the low altitude of the Tamil Tiger aircraft. The two Tamil Tiger aircraft then flew past the Bandaranaike International Airport
, and three international flights were subsequently canceled. At 9:47 pm the aircraft entered airspace above Colombo, and air defense systems were activated, immediately lighting up the sky with red and amber anti-aircraft gun fire. As a precaution, the power supply to the city of Colombo was cut, plunging the city into darkness.
As one of the aircraft circled over Colombo Harbor and took a turn over Galle Face Green
, it was hit by anti-aircraft gunfire. At 9:51 pm it crashed into the 12th floor of the 15 story Inland Revenue Department (IRD) building, which is located on Sir Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha. The impact triggered the explosives packed into the plane, setting part of the building on fire. Two people were killed and over 50 injured in the crash, and a military statement said "parts of strewn pieces of flesh said to be that of the Tiger pilot" were found inside the building. The engine of the plane was found on the 12th floor of the building.
Unable to proceed due to heavy anti-aircraft gunfire, the second aircraft headed back towards the Air Force base located next to Bandaranaike International Airport
. However the aircraft was shot down before it reached the base, crashing at 9:59 pm. Six civilians were injured in the crash. The wreckage of the aircraft, along with the body of the pilot, was found by the military. The pilot had two cyanide capsules
and a powerful bomb attached to him.
Investigations conducted at the crash sites indicated that for the first time, the Tamil Tiger aircraft were packed with explosives, rather than carrying bombs as they had previously done. It was estimated that there were 215 kg of C-4 plastic explosives
inside each plane.
. They also released a letter allegedly written by one of the cadres urging other Tamils to join the LTTE and fight Sri Lanka.
There was concern among Sri Lankan media as to why the aircraft weren't intercepted before reaching the capital. An Air Force spokesman said since the Tamil Tiger craft were flying at extremely low height of around 300 feet (91.4 m), it was impossible for the fighter aircraft of the Air Force to engage them. He said that instead the Air Force was ready to shoot down the planes using anti-aircraft guns when they reached Colombo.
The military believes that the target of the first plane was either the Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters
, which was adjacent to the Inland Revenue Department building, or the President's House
or Army Headquarters, which were also in the area. However after the aircraft was hit, the pilot lost control and crashed into the IRD building. The second aircraft is believed to have targeted aircraft hangars
at the Air Force base at Katunayake. Given the amount of explosives packed inside the aircraft, there could have been severe devastation if they hit their targets.
Although the Tamil Tigers claimed in a statement that they had launched successful air raids against Sri Lanka Air Force installations, the attacks are largely seen as failures. However they did send out a message that the Tamil Tigers were still capable of launching attacks against Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government called the attacks a "desperate attempt by the LTTE to bring it into the limelight at a time when it was facing a disgraceful defeat" on the battlefield, and a spokesman said "any terrorist organization would not use their most priced [sic] military asset on a destructive mission until the very end".
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
style suicide attack
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
launched by the air wing
Air Tigers
The Air Tigers was the air-wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , who used it against the Government of Sri Lanka...
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
on February 20, 2009, targeting military locations in and around Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The attacks were speculated to be intended to be similar to the September 11 attacks, where aircraft were used as flying bomb
Flying bomb
A flying bomb is a manned or unmanned aerial vehicle or aircraft carrying a large explosive warhead, a precursor to contemporary cruise missiles...
s and crashed directly into their targets. However the attacks failed as the Sri Lanka Air Force detected the two explosive packed aircraft and shot them down before they reached their targets. On the ground, two people died and over fifty were injured as a result of the attacks.
Background
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the LTTE or the Tamil Tigers, was a separatist militant organization that was fighting to create an independent TamilTamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Between 1983 and 2009, they engaged in violent conflict
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
with the military of Sri Lanka, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 people. During their campaign, the Tamil Tigers used a variety of controversial tactics, including the extensive use of suicide bombers. They were credited with inventing the suicide jacket, which has since been copied by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and by Iraqi insurgents. The Tamil Tigers are designated as a terrorist organization by 32 countries, including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the member nations of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
By 2002, the Tamil Tigers controlled an area of approximately 15,000 km2 in north and east Sri Lanka. At the time, facing increasing losses on the battlefield and international pressure to stop the fighting, both sides were persuaded to engage in internationally mediated peace talks. The much-hyped peace process carried on until July 2006, when the Tamil Tigers blocked a canal supplying water to an area under the control of the Sri Lankan government. The Sri Lanka Army initially launched an offensive to reopen the canal, and captured the waterway two weeks later. After the success of the operation, the Sri Lankan military expanded their offensive, gaining control of the entire Eastern Province in mid-2007, and confining the LTTE to an area of approximately 100 km2 by February 2009.
The first reports of aircraft being in the possession of the LTTE came in 1998, when the pro-LTTE website TamilNet
Tamilnet
TamilNet is a news website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the erstwhile Sri Lankan Civil War...
reported that a Tiger aircraft sprinkled flowers over a cemetery in Mullaithivu. However the LTTE did not use aircraft as offensive weapons until March 2007, when they launched a surprise attack against Colombo using light aircraft to drop a bomb on the main airbase of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The LTTE are believed to have smuggled a number of light aircraft into Sri Lanka during the 2002–06 ceasefire period, and were first detected by UAV
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
s of the Sri Lanka Air Force in 2005. Up to February 2009, the LTTE carried out seven other air attacks against government targets, with the Air Force claiming to have shot down a Tamil Tiger aircraft on one occasion.
The LTTE are believed to have used Zlín Z 143 aircraft, which are manufactured in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, for their attacks. The Z-143 is a single engine, low-winged monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
, mainly used for training purposes. It is normally a four-seater, but is modified by the LTTE to carry four bombs on its undercarriage. The Tamil Tigers are the only group known to use Z-143s for military purposes.
The attacks
With the Sri Lankan military on the verge of winning the war, the Tamil Tigers launched their first suicide air attack on the night of February 20, 2009. Two aircraft took off from a narrow road in PuthukkudiyirippuPuthukkudiyiruppu (Mullaitivu)
Puthukkudiyiruppu is a small town in the Mullaitivu District of Sri Lanka.There are four main roads which lead to Mullaithivu in the east, Paranthan towards west, Iranaipalai towards north and Oddusuddan towards south...
in the Mullaithivu District, and were sighted by Sri Lanka Army personnel operating along the front lines around 8:30 pm. The aircraft were soon detected by a Sri Lanka Air Force radar installation at Vavuniya
Vavuniya
Vavuniya is a town in northern Sri Lanka. This town is situated in the Northern Province. Vavuniya was often referred to as the gateway to Vanni....
. The aircraft, which had switched off their lights to avoid detection, proceeded towards Mannar
Mannar, Sri Lanka
Mannar , formerly spelled Manar, is the capital of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is located on Mannar Island.Mannar is known for its baobab trees and for its fort, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and taken by the Dutch in 1658 and rebuilt; its ramparts and bastions are intact, though the interior...
and then southwards towards Colombo. 20 minutes after the detection of the aircraft, an F-7 interceptor
Chengdu J-7
The Chengdu Jian-7 is a People's Republic of China-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. Though production ceased in 2008 it continues to serve, mostly as an interceptor, in several air forces, including China's.-Design and development:...
of the Sri Lanka Air Force was scrambled to intercept the planes, but was unable to do so due to the low altitude of the Tamil Tiger aircraft. The two Tamil Tiger aircraft then flew past the Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport is Sri Lanka's only international airport at the moment. Mattala International Airport, when it gets built will be the second International Airport of Sri Lanka. It is located in Katunayake, north of Colombo...
, and three international flights were subsequently canceled. At 9:47 pm the aircraft entered airspace above Colombo, and air defense systems were activated, immediately lighting up the sky with red and amber anti-aircraft gun fire. As a precaution, the power supply to the city of Colombo was cut, plunging the city into darkness.
As one of the aircraft circled over Colombo Harbor and took a turn over Galle Face Green
Galle Face Green
The Galle Face is a promenade which stretches for half kilometre along the coast in the heart of financial and business district of Colombo, Sri Lanka...
, it was hit by anti-aircraft gunfire. At 9:51 pm it crashed into the 12th floor of the 15 story Inland Revenue Department (IRD) building, which is located on Sir Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha. The impact triggered the explosives packed into the plane, setting part of the building on fire. Two people were killed and over 50 injured in the crash, and a military statement said "parts of strewn pieces of flesh said to be that of the Tiger pilot" were found inside the building. The engine of the plane was found on the 12th floor of the building.
Unable to proceed due to heavy anti-aircraft gunfire, the second aircraft headed back towards the Air Force base located next to Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport is Sri Lanka's only international airport at the moment. Mattala International Airport, when it gets built will be the second International Airport of Sri Lanka. It is located in Katunayake, north of Colombo...
. However the aircraft was shot down before it reached the base, crashing at 9:59 pm. Six civilians were injured in the crash. The wreckage of the aircraft, along with the body of the pilot, was found by the military. The pilot had two cyanide capsules
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
and a powerful bomb attached to him.
Investigations conducted at the crash sites indicated that for the first time, the Tamil Tiger aircraft were packed with explosives, rather than carrying bombs as they had previously done. It was estimated that there were 215 kg of C-4 plastic explosives
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
inside each plane.
Reaction
The Ministry of Defence released footage taken from an infrared Sri Lanka Navy surveillance camera of the aircraft crashing into the IRD building (see full video on YouTube). Meanwhile, the LTTE released pictures of who they claimed were the two cadres who flew the two aircraft, posing with the leader of the LTTE Velupillai PrabhakaranVelupillai Prabhakaran
Thiruvenkadam Velupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka...
. They also released a letter allegedly written by one of the cadres urging other Tamils to join the LTTE and fight Sri Lanka.
There was concern among Sri Lankan media as to why the aircraft weren't intercepted before reaching the capital. An Air Force spokesman said since the Tamil Tiger craft were flying at extremely low height of around 300 feet (91.4 m), it was impossible for the fighter aircraft of the Air Force to engage them. He said that instead the Air Force was ready to shoot down the planes using anti-aircraft guns when they reached Colombo.
The military believes that the target of the first plane was either the Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters
SLAF Colombo
SLAF Colombo is the Sri Lanka Air Force headquarters in Colombo. In this capacity it has the offices of the Commander of the Air Force, Chief of Staff, the Board of Management and Board of Directors of the Sri Lanka Air Force...
, which was adjacent to the Inland Revenue Department building, or the President's House
President's House, Colombo
President's House is the official residence of the President of Sri Lanka, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It used to be the Queen's House until Sri Lanka became a Republic in 1972.-History:...
or Army Headquarters, which were also in the area. However after the aircraft was hit, the pilot lost control and crashed into the IRD building. The second aircraft is believed to have targeted aircraft hangars
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
at the Air Force base at Katunayake. Given the amount of explosives packed inside the aircraft, there could have been severe devastation if they hit their targets.
Although the Tamil Tigers claimed in a statement that they had launched successful air raids against Sri Lanka Air Force installations, the attacks are largely seen as failures. However they did send out a message that the Tamil Tigers were still capable of launching attacks against Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government called the attacks a "desperate attempt by the LTTE to bring it into the limelight at a time when it was facing a disgraceful defeat" on the battlefield, and a spokesman said "any terrorist organization would not use their most priced [sic] military asset on a destructive mission until the very end".