Kyrgyzstan 'will drown in blood' if ousted president targeted for death

The leader of the new interim government, meanwhile, said Mr Bakiyev could be put on trial for the killings of at least 81 people during the rebellion against him.

The 7 April revolt in the Central Asian nation, where the United States operates an important military airbase, forced Mr Bakiyev to flee to his southern home region, locking him in a stand-off with the self-proclaimed government in Bishkek.

Citing security concerns, Washington has stopped troops flying to Afghanistan via the air base outside the capital.

Speaking in a traditional "yurt" tent in Jalalabad region, Mr Bakiyev, 60, said he did not recognise the legitimacy of the interim government but was prepared for talks.

"I would like to warn those who are now hunting for me: don't be contract killers, because this will only bring huge tragedy to the country," he said.

"We will drown (Kyrgyzstan] in blood if they opt for physical elimination. If they use force, then those people surrounding me will not let it happen, and this will mean bloodshed."

A mountainous Muslim nation bordering China, Kyrgyzstan's 3.05 billion economy has attracted little foreign investment since winning independence from the Soviet Union, but the United States and Russia are jostling for influence in Central Asia.

Once a key ally who helped propel Mr Bakiyev to power in an earlier revolution in 2005, interim leader Roza Otunbayeva said she would not use force but spoke of putting him on trial for the deaths.

"Bakiyev has to understand that he is stuck in a deadlock," Ms Otunbayeva said yesterday. "When he is arrested it will be possible to carry out an investigation and question him within the framework of law. What he did calls for a serious trial".

Ms Otunbayeva has accused Mr Bakiyev's supporters of stoking violence in the aftermath of the uprising.

The self-proclaimed government has said Russia is its key ally and some leading ministers have said the US lease on the base could be shortened, raising speculation that Moscow could try to use the base as a lever in relations with Washington.

Pentagon officials say the Manas air base is key to the war against the Taleban, allowing round-the-clock flights in and out of Afghanistan. Some 50,000 troops passed through it last month.

During the night of 7-8 April, troops loyal to Bakiyev shot into crowds of thousands of protesters besieging the presidential house, killing dozens.

Many protesters, armed with weapons seized from Mr Bakiyev's security forces, fought back, and witnesses said some people may have been killed in the ensuing crossfire.

Mr Bakiyev said he had not ordered the shootings of protesters and that his troops had retaliated immediately after a sniper shot at him in his office.

"I have not fled (the country] because, first of all, I do not feel any guilt," he said.

He added, however, that he felt regret as president for being unable to prevent the deaths.