February 10, 2000

Aviation Safety Network: Afghanistan accident index list of all airliner accidents in Afghanistan since 1945 in which the aircraft involved was damaged beyond repair.

Afghan Hijack Ends, UK Police Arrest 19
By Jason Hopps and Jane Barrett
STANSTED, England (Reuters) - The four-day-long hijack of an Afghan airliner ended peacefully before dawn on Thursday and police said they arrested 19 people on board.

Afghan Plane Hijacking Crisis Over
By Burt Herman
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000; 8:48 a.m. EST
STANSTED, England –– The hijackers of an Afghan plane released about 150 hostages safely and surrendered early today, ending a four-day standoff at an airport outside London. Police said they arrested 19 people who came off the aircraft.

Afghan Taliban leader welcomes end of hijacking, thanks Britain
Thursday, February 10 8:30 PM SGT
KABUL, Feb 10 (AFP) - The supreme leader of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban Thursday welcomed the end of the Ariana airlines hijacking ordeal at an airport near London and thanked the British government.

Hijack hostages plead for asylum
BBC
At least sixty hostages released from a hijacked Afghan plane are seeking political asylum in the UK, Home Office sources have said.

Afghanistan seeks return of plane
BBC
The Afghan authorities have thanked the British government for resolving the hijack peacefully, and asked for co-operation in returning the plane, its passengers and crew.

Scores leave hijack jet
BBC
More than half the hostages on board a hijacked Afghan airliner at Stansted Airport have been released after four days of negotations.

More Walk Off Hijacked Afghan Plane
By Caroline Byrne
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2000; 11:40 p.m. EST
STANSTED, England –– Eighty-five men, women and children walked down the tail staircase of a hijacked Afghan plane early Thursday, raising hopes that a hostage drama could be nearing an end.

Motivation Behind Afghan Plane Hijacking Rooted in Afghanistan's Political Crisis
Saga Underlines Desperation and Frustration of Afghans
By Omar Samad
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2000 - AAR - While the fateful and pilot-less hijacked Ariana airlines Boeing 727 with more than 150 passengers on board sits at an isolate corner of Stansted's runway, North of London, speculations about the hijackers'

Afghan hijackers step up demands
BY ADRIAN LEE AND DANIEL McGRORY
The Sunday Times UK
THE Afghan gunmen holding an aircraft on the runway at Stansted Airport intensified their demands last night to include immunity from prosecution before they surrender.

Afghan Hijack Appears Over
Wednesday, February 09, 2000 10:41 PM EST
STANSTED, England (AP) -- Dozens of hostages, including women and children, walked out the back staircase of a hijacked Afghan plane early Thursday, raising hopes that the crisis may be coming to an end.

MESSAGE OF H.M. MOHAMMAD ZAHER, FORMER KING OF AFGHANISTAN
Rome, February 9, 2000
We appeal to the hijackers to release their prisoners and end this crisis peacefully. The hijacking of the Ariana flight is an illegal act that puts innocent lives at risk. Even in the midst of the great conflicts they suffered during the past decades, Afghans

Afghan 'envoy' keeps lonely vigil at airport
DANIEL McGRORY AND ADRIAN LEE
The Sunday Times UK
A CORNER of Stansted airport has been turned into a makeshift embassy for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan during the hijack.

Pilots 'shaken' by hijack ordeal
By Kabul correspondent Kate Clark
BBC
The president of Ariana Airlines has said the two pilots of the hijacked Afghan plane were shaken by their four-day ordeal but were otherwise in good health.

Crew of Afghan plane escape, hijackers seek asylum
By L.K. Sharma
The Times of India News Service
LONDON: More than 150 hostages in the hijacked Afghan plane continued to face a traumatic situation for the third day. A dramatic escape during the night by the crew of the hijacked aeroplane briefly disrupted the negotiations which were

'Afghan Airways pilots may not seem the most dedicated to passenger safety and comfort, but believe me - I have flown with far, far worse'
Vanora Bennett
The Sunday Times UK
You know you're in trouble when the pilot of your plane jumps. The idea of a sweating flight crew abseiling into the night, or being pushed by hooded hijackers, is deeply shocking to travellers from the pampered West. It sends a shiver down our

UN exempts Afghan flights for Haj
The United Nations has given the Afghan national airline, Ariana, permission to make ninety round trips to Saudi Arabia during the Haj.

Freed Pakistani cleric 'detained'
By Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad
BBC
The authorities in Pakistan are reported to have detained the most prominent of three pro-Kashmiri militants freed by India in exchange for the release of hostages in the Kandahar hijacking.