The UN children's agency on Friday said it has met with Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, asking them to stop recruiting underage fighters and immediately release those already enlisted. A three-member UNICEF delegation visited the rebel-controlled town of Kilinochchi on Wednesday and met with the representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, blamed in the past for abducting children and using them as soldiers. "We emphasized the need to cease all underage recruitment and release all such children," UNICEF communication officer Junko Mitani told AP. UNICEF says the Tigers are holding up to 1,358 child soldiers, despite the guerrillas' pledges to free all combatants under age 18. Last month, the Tigers said in a statement that they have returned 16 youth, aged 15-17, to their families.