9. End of Civil War
For years the civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the separatist Tamil Tigers (LTTE) flew under the radar of press and public scrutiny. All of that changed in 2009, when the government -- having already withdrawn from a ceasefire agreement with the Tamils the previous year -- shifted its offensive to the northern Tamil stronghold of Kilinochchi. Capturing its defacto capital, the Tigers were forced into the jungle. On May 19, Sri Lanka's government declared the end of the war as most of the LTTE leadership was captured or killed. The long civil war left thousands of civilians dead, and up to 300,000 displaced. (AP Photo)
