Tamil Tigers, now virtually on the run, have claimed that they still retained the capability to seize back LTTE's [Images] de-facto capital of Killinochchi and said the Sri Lankan government's plans to hold elections in the northern areas "would be a futile exercise".

Emerging after the devastating defeat at the hands of Lankan Army, LTTE political chief B Nadesan said that "Kilinochchi town was captured more than once by the Sri Lanka [Images] military earlier."

"Similarly, we have also re-captured the town on earlier occasions, effectively bringing the town under our control to serve the administrative and infrastructure needs," Nadesan said.

"It is in Kilinochchi, where the Sri Lankan forces have suffered historic debacles," he told the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet.

On the issue of government plans to hold provincial elections in the North after liberating it from the LTTE, he said it would be a futile exercise.

"It will be a futile exercise to attempt to sideline the authentic representatives of the people of a nation and to depict the puppets and paramilitary agents of an invading military as the representatives of the people," the LTTE political head said.

"Tamil people have clearly defined their political aspirations by the democratic mandate in the elections of 1977," he said adding, "Our cadres had been spearheading the struggle since then, fulfilling the mandate of our people and we are the representatives of the people of the Tamil homeland."