An example of a negotiation process which is used as a tactic to gain time is the talks between the government of Sri Lanka and Tamil Tigers (Weiss 2011). The fight between the government forces and Tamil Tigers, a secessionist guerrilla group, lasted more than two decades and caused thousands of casualties on both parties. The negotiations between the parties were initiated once again in early 2008, yet the failure of the process triggered a heavy assault by the government forces on Tamil Tigers in early 2009. In May 2009, the government declared victory and Tigers admitted the defeat. Later, it was understood that the government of Sri Lanka was actually using the negotiation process which was relatively calm and peaceful to prepare for a final attack to defeat the Tigers decisively and annihilate the organization. In fact, it was clear that Sri Lankan army was mobilizing and preparing for the attack since a long time frame including the negotiation period.