REBELS in Sierra Leone have released 150 children, among them 40 girls, from an eastern stronghold in Kailahun, the UN Children’s Fund Unicef announced on Tuesday. The children, aged eight to 18 years old, were freed on Monday and airlifted Tuesday to Daru, some 50km away where they were received by staff from the aid organisation, Save the Children. A total of 764 child soldiers have been released since May, when Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels entered into new negotiations with the Freetown government to end a brutal 10-year war, Unicef said. – AFP