LTTE says many of the child soldiers are already released

The UN spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss, told BBC Sandeshaya that the figures by UNICEF figures on LTTE's child soldiers were accurate at the time they were published.

It is the responsibility of the that recruited children to update on any change in these figures, he added.

The spokesman, who was in Nairobi, was responding to LTTE accusations that the UNICEF has failed to update their records on recently released children.

It may be uncomfortable but the fact is that the important issue here is the target should be releasing children. It is up to them (LTTE) to clean up that book UN spokesman, Gordon Weiss

A statement issued on Monday by the LTTE said that they have released 22 child soldiers in recent months.

They are trying to locate the families of another twenty children who are still with them, LTTE added.

The LTTE said they do not have any record of 95 child soldiers who are reported to be with them by the UNICEF.

But the UNICEF says hundreds of under-age fighters are still unaccounted for.

The UN spokesman, Gordon Weiss, added that the UNICEF might have had difficulties in updating and verifying their records due to the current security situation.

"It may be uncomfortable but the fact is that the important issue here is the target should be releasing children. It is up to them (LTTE) to clean up that book," he told BBCSinhala.com.