Eelam War I

Part of the Sri Lankan Civil War

Date	July 23, 1983 – July 29, 1987
Location	Sri Lanka
Result	Peace deal negotiated by India, and arrival of Indian Peacekeepers

Belligerents

Sri Lanka

Military of Sri Lanka

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Commanders and leaders

J.R. Jayewardene
Lt. Gen T. I. Weerathunga
Lt. Gen Nalin Seneviratne

Velupillai Prabhakaran

Sri Lanka

Eelam War I is the name given to the initial phase of the armed conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. Although tensions between the government and Tamil militant groups had been brewing since the 1970s, full-scale war did not break out until an attack by the LTTE on a Sri Lanka Army patrol in Jaffna, in the north of the country, on July 23, 1983, which killed 13 soldiers. The attack, and the subsequent riots in the south (dubbed Black July), are generally considered as the start of the conflict. This fighting continued until 1985, when peace talks were held between the two sides in Thimphu, Bhutan, in hopes of seeking a negotiated settlement. They proved fruitless and fighting soon resumed.

By 1987, the Vadamarachchi Operation of the Sri Lankan military had cornered the LTTE in Jaffna, on the tip of the island and were confident of bringing an end to the conflict. However, due to internal pressure, specifically concern about the 50 million Tamils living in India, the Indian government called for a halt to the offensive. After the request was snubbed by Sri Lanka, the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ordered a flotilla of ships be sent to relieve the LTTE. After the convoy was blocked by the Sri Lanka Navy, India instead chose to airdrop supplies to the besieged city in a mission codenamed Operation Poomalai.

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Wikipedia