In July 1983, the darkest anti-minority pogrom in Sri Lankan history, known as the Black July riots, erupted. The riots began as a response to a deadly ambush by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), one of the many Tamil militant groups of that time, on Sri Lankan Army soldiers, which lead to deaths of 13 soldiers. Government appointed commission's estimates put the death toll at nearly 1,000. Mostly minority Sri Lankan Tamils died or 'disappeared' during these riots. At least 150,000 Tamils fled the island. The Black July is generally seen as the start of full-scale Sri Lankan Civil War between the Tamil militants and the government of Sri Lanka.