What is Eelam War III?
The '''Eelam War III''' began on 19 April 1995 when the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE, also called Tamil Tigers) sank two [[Sri Lanka]]n [[Boat|naval craft]] in Sri Lanka. This was the third armed conflict in the [[Sri Lankan Civil War]] between the [[military]] of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers. There were also Eelam Wars I and II before this conflict and Eelam war IV afterwards. On the night of 18 July 1996 LTTE forces attacked and overran the military base at [[Mullaithivu]].<ref name=Mehta146>Raj K. Mehta, ''Lost Victory: The Rise & Fall of LTTE Supremo, V. Prabhakaran'' (New Delhi: Pentagon Security International, 2010), p. 146</ref> It was the brigade headquarters of the 215 Sri Lankan Army. About 1,600 [[soldier]]s were killed or missing.<ref name=Mehta146/> In April 2000 the LTTE Sea Tigers captured Elephant Pass. This was a major victory since they had lost the last battle at Elephant Pass in 1991.<ref name=Mehta56>Raj K. Mehta, ''Lost Victory: The Rise & Fall of LTTE Supremo, V. Prabhakaran'' (New Delhi: Pentagon Security International, 2010), p. 56</ref> By 2001 both sides were exhausted and ended the war.<ref name=Hashim132>Ahmed Hashim, ''When Counterinsurgency Wins: Sri Lanka's Defeat of the Tamil Tigers'' (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013), p. 132</ref> The LTTE came away with a [[:wikt:reputation|reputation]] for their fighting skills. But this led to an Eelam War IV.<ref name=Hashim132/> == Civilian killings == === Kallarawa massacre === On 25 May 1995, LTTE (Liberation of Tamil Tigers) killed 42 men, women, and children in [[Kallarawa]], Sri Lanka. Everyone else who lived there escaped the [[:wikt:bloodshed|bloodshed]]. === Gonagala massacre === In the [[Ampara District]] of Sri Lanka on 18 September 1999, another massacre took place. Over 50 women, men, and children were hacked to death in the middle of the night in their sleep. == References == {{reflist}} == Other websites == *[http://www.defence.lk/english.asp Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka] {{Webarch