mso-bidi-language:
AR-SA"> The LTTE announced that they used 41 suicide bombers in 1999, and 188 over the past thirteen years. The first suicide bomber attack was on July 5, 1987, when a truck filled with explosives killed 39 soldiers. Meanwhile, the government is stepping up its efforts to get 25,000 deserters back into uniform. Several amnesties have not brought many deserters back.