Colombo: The embattled Tamil Tigers today vowed to carry on their fight even if there de facto political headquarters Kilinochchi were to fall to Sri Lankan troops and rejected demands for laying down arms before a ceasefire.

"Freedom... Never depends on one city. We can create more communities, more cities and (in) our freedom struggle, we are supported by people," LTTE political head B Nadesan said in an e-mailed interview in apparent indications that the key city could fall any time. "Even if it (Kilinochchi) falls we will fight on," Nadesan told the BBC in comments which comes as government troops have laid a siege of the town and nearby coastal city of Mullaittivu, the last two cities still controlled by the LTTE in the Tamil dominated Wanni region in the north.

Fierce fighting around the two towns has been raging for the last six months and has left hundreds of LTTE militants and soldiers dead. The head of the rebels political wing said the outfit has rejected the government's offer of talks, if there was a pre-condition that Tigers disarm first.

"We have the confidence that we will capture more areas in our motherland and we will create so many communities in (the) future," Nadesan said. On the government's demand for a ceasefire, he said: "this is not a realistic question, We took up arms to safeguard our people, so we will keep these arms until the safeguard is guaranteed."

Reacting to the interview, the Sri Lankan Defence ministry said these were signs of the LTTE accepting the imminent fall of Kilinochchi.

Source : PTI