February 7, 2000

Police settle in for long haul over hijacked Afghan plane
Tuesday, February 8 8:56 AM SGT
STANSTED, England, Feb 8 (AFP) - British police settled in for a long haul Tuesday, as negotiations continued to free the remaining 150 passengers on board a hijacked Afghan plane parked at an airport north of London.

10 Released Afghan Hostages Back Home
Monday, February 07, 2000 10:43 AM EST
ISLAMABAD (Feb. 7) XINHUA - Ten passengers of the hijacked Afghan Ariana airliner, who were released in Uzbekistan, returned to Afghanistan on Monday, according to a news dispatch from the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).

Five Released From Hijacked Jet
By AUDREY WOODS
.c The Associated Press
STANSTED, England (Feb. 7) - Police launched urgent negotiations today with hijackers who seized an Afghan passenger airliner and forced it across Central Asia and Europe. Authorities said five of the remaining 165 hostages were freed at Stansted Airport outside London.

Afghan hijackers free more passengers
By Jason Hopps
STANSTED, England, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Hijackers of an Afghan airliner released more passengers at an airport near London on Monday as police said negotiations had entered a critical stage.

Ismail Khan: Led fight against Russians
February 7, 2000
Web posted at: 4:39 p.m. HKT (0839 GMT)
LONDON (CNN) -- Ismail Khan, whose release from prison could hold the key to ending a hostage standoff at London's Stansted Airport, is considered a hero by those who fought beside him against the Russians.

Afghan Taliban leader says no negotiating with hijackers
Monday, February 7 5:17 PM SGT
ISLAMABAD, Feb 7 (AFP) - The head of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar, on Monday ruled out negotiations with hijackers holding an Ariana commerical jet.

Hijackers said to want to free ``Lion of Herat''
LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Ismail Khan, the man hijackers of an Afghan airliner reportedly want freed, is a legendary veteran of the war against the Soviet occupiers of his country who fell out with Afghanistan's present Islamic government.

Statement by the Spokesperson regarding the Hijacking of the Afghan Passenger Airliner
PRESS RELEASE
A statement received by AAR from the ISA (anti Taliban alliance):
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic State of Afghanistan adamantly condemns the hijacking of the Afghan passenger airliner, a Boeing-727 with more than 150 passengers on board, having thus far been forcibly landed in Tashkent

Afghan hijackers: who are they, what do they want?
KABUL, Feb 7 (AFP) - Armed hijackers who seized an Afghan commercial jet from Kabul and forced it to fly to London have still yet to reveal their identities or make their demands.

Ariana, an Afghan survivor, flies into storms
KABUL, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Ariana, the tattered flag carrier of Afghan aviation, flew into fresh storms at the weekend when one of its ageing planes was hijacked.

Anxious wait for Afghan relatives
The flight left Kabul on Sunday
By Kate Clark in Kabul
Relatives have been coming to Kabul airport to ask about the fate of family members on board the hijacked Ariana plane which landed in London in the early hours of Monday.

Spotlight falls on Afghan commander
The Taleban control 90% of Afghanistan
The Afghan media has reported that the hijackers want the release of Ismail Khan - a leading commander close to the ousted President Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Mahaz-e-Milli denies involvement in Ariana hijacking
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Mahaz-e-Milli Afghanistan (National Islamic Front of Afghanistan), one of whose commanders has been suspected for hijacking the Afghan Ariana plane, Sunday condemned the incident and denied any involvement of his

Taliban team to visit France, Denmark
ISLAMABAD (NNI): A delegation of the Taliban headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mullah Abdul Rehman Zahid would visit France and Denmark to apprise the authorities of the ongoing developments in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Pakistan to seek closure of military training camps in Afghanistan
BUSINESS RECORDER
(Published under arrangement with Internews)
ISLAMABAD (February 7) : Pakistan will impress upon Afghanistan to close down military training camps run by militant organisations along the border with Pakistan, officials said here on Sunday. "General Pervez Musharraf will take up the