planeThe Taleban did not take part in negotiations

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Afghanistan seeks return of plane
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airportThere is increased security at Kabul airport



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.

"We greatly appreciate the endeavours by the British authorities in bringing the hijacking to a peaceful conclusion," said Mawlawi Hamidullah, head of the Ariana airline,

"We want them to also cooperate with us in returning the plane, the passengers and the crew back to Afghanistan."
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Mr Hamidullah accepted that the hijackers would be punished in Britain.

"The British government shall deal with them according to their own applicable laws," he said.

But Taliban Civil Aviation Minister Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor said the hijackers should be punished severely to stop any repeat hijackings.

"The hijackers should be given an exemplary punishment, otherwise others will be encouraged to engage in such heinous activity," Mr Mansoor told the Afghan Islamic Press.

Kabul airport security

At Kabul airport, security has been stepped up since the hijack, and the government has been carrying out an investigation to discover how the hijackers managed to smuggle guns, grenades and daggers on board the plane.

A total of 10 airport staff, including four female security officers, have been arrested.

There were no X-ray machines or security equipment of any kind at the airport.

The Taleban's supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has said armed commandos will be on all future Ariana flights.

Relatives

There was widespread relief in the Afghan capital at the peaceful resolution of the hijack.

But, while relatives expressed relief, they still had concerns.
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I am extremely sorry that I was not on the plane myself



Kabul resident



One man was anxious about his elderly uncle.

"He doesn't want to stay in London," he said. "He needs to be here."

Many ordinary Afghans believe the hijacking masked an elaborate attempt by the hijackers, possibly with the connivance of some passengers, to escape the ruins of Afghanistan and seek asylum in Britain.
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womanHostage being led to safety



"The hostages are lucky because they are in Britain, though they underwent some ordeal, but it is not comparable to the agonies that they experienced over the past 22 years in Afghanistan." said one Kabul resident.

"I am extremely sorry I was not on the plane myself - otherwise I would have asked the British to let me stay in their homeland," said another.

Relief at Ariana

At the war-damaged Ariana airline office in the centre of Kabul, Mohammed Daoud Sharafi knelt in prayer after being told that everyone on board the plane was safe.

"This is good news, happy news for our staff and all the people of Afghanistan," he said.

He added they were very keen to find out the condition of the hijacked aircraft.

Ariana Airlines has an ageing fleet of four Boeing 727s and five Russian-made Antonov passenger aircraft.

Last November, UN sanctions banned all international flights by the airline.

It meant maintenance previously carried out in the United Arab Emirates was no longer possible, prompting concerns about safety.

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