Formed in 1976, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is an active terrorist group that seeks to create a separate state for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil people. This notional state would be comprised of Sri Lanka's northern and eastern provinces, where the Tamil people make up a majority of the population. In the rest of Sri Lanka, the predominantly Buddhist Sinhalese people are the majority ethnic group. <br /><p><br /><br />Responding to an upsurge in Sinhalese nationalism that culminated in the declaration of Buddhism as the main religion in Sri Lanka in 1972, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) political party was created to represent the interests of the Tamil people. During TULF's formative years, a group of young, radical members formed the militant Tamil New Tigers, which became the LTTE in 1976. LTTE has since detached themselves from any association with TULF. In 1984, the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of LTTE, was formed. The Sea Tigers were most recently responsible for the deaths of 19 Sri Lankan Navy personnel who were ambushed in a May 2006 naval engagement. The group expanded its capability into the aerial dimension in 2007, conducting two crude air bombings on Sri Lankan bases.<br /><p><br /><br />LTTE physically controls territory in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, mostly in Jaffna District, though boundaries often shift. Through assassinations, bombings, and other terrorist tactics, LTTE targets people who do not support an independent Tamil state. Their victims include policemen, politicians, and even common citizens. After the imposition of martial law on Jaffna District in 1979, LTTE began targeting the Sri Lankan military. The group is concerned with it status as the primary Tamil terrorist organization and considers members of rival Tamil radical groups to be legitimate targets as well.<br /><p><br /><br />An LTTE ambush of a military patrol that killed 13 in 1983 is seen as the first battle of the civil war in Sri Lanka, which has yet to be resolved. In 1999, it was estimated that this conflict had already claimed 60,000 lives.<br />