With the death of LTTE chief V Prabhakaran and the decimation of most of its headship, Sri Lanka declared victory in Jaffna. The existence of the LTTE as an organisation that was a “virtual” government in northern Sri Lanka, has come to an end. It made several cardinal mistakes, including the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, expulsion of Commander Karuna and persecution of Moors. By mulishly focussing on ‘all or nothing’ strategy, the it lost everything. It also failed to gauge the global position post 9/11. Sri Lankan diplomacy was adroit and successful in shielding its own pig-headedness and vilified the LTTE. As Sri Lanka built its armed muscle with Chinese and Pakistani aid, the LTTE had to go back to its underground days to stay to battle another day. Instead, it opted for head-on defiance.
