Afghan hijacking or The Great Escape?

Afghan hijacking or The Great Escape?
ANJALI MODY

LONDON, FEBRUARY 9: Four crew members, including the captain, of the hijacked Afghan airline, escaped through a cockpit window late last night leading to speculation that this was no routine hijack, but an elaborate escape attempt involving the hijackers, crew and passengers.

British police confirmed that the four men had made a ``spontaneous escape'' shimmying down a rope late last night, and that a fifth crew member, a steward, was pushed out of the plane a few hours later. The plane was hijacked while on a domestic flight from Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif on Sunday.

Assistant Chief Constable Joe Edwards of Essex Police said that the escaped crew included the 54-year-old captain, the 50-year-old relief captain, the 43-year-old first officer and 54-year-old flight engineer. Edwards said that the situation got tense after the escape. ``Up until last night, everything had been conducted in a very calm and businesslike manner. There was a period when it was less calm during the early hours of today, but we havenow been able to return to the previous situation.''

Edwards said the crew would be debriefed about the conditions on board. He said the other hostages released in London had said that there were six to 10 hijackers, who may have sub-machine guns and grenades, and that they behave in a disciplined, military fashion.

Although there have been reports that the hijackers want the release of pro-Rabbanni general, Ismail Khan, the hijackers have in fact not made any specific demands apart from what the police describe as ``housekeeping needs'', like the delivery of water and food. Assistant Chief Constable John Broughton said that while ``it may seem unbelievable'', the hijackers have made no ``formal demands''.

Broughton admitted that the issue of political asylum was among ``many other possibilities'' discussed. He said that when negotiators discussed the question of surrender, the hijackers would have been told ``the official position: that this is part of a criminal investigation, that they would bearrested and put before the courts. If they claimed political asylum, that would be something they could bring before the courts.''

Police sources are reported to have described the hijackers as ``men who want to save their own skins''. There were reports earlier from a crew member released in Moscow that around 40 of the hostages belonged to one family, apparently on their way to a wedding. It is thought that they may be trying to escape. There have also been unconfirmed reports that the hijackers have their families on board the plane and speculation that some of the crew may be among the hijackers.

Police have refused to comment on this or on reports that three of the nine hostages released since Monday have applied for political asylum. The British Home Office also maintained silence on the subject.

The arrival, late Tuesday, of an official from the UN High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) added further fuel to the speculation that the reason for the hijack may be political asylum. Asked to explainthe presence of the official, Asst Chief Constable Joe Edwards said: ``Because of the delicate nature of the negotiations, we cannot go into the history that led to the representative being here.'' He also said that the official would not serve on the negotiating team, but that she would provide expertise on Afghanistan.

Since the plane landed at London's Stansted airport on Monday, 14 hostages have been released, bringing the total, including those released in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia, to 36. Eight people, including three women, two men and two infants were released on Monday. A ninth man, suffering from asthma, was released yesterday. Before the escape of the four crew members and the release of one, police said there were 156 hostages on board: 21 children, 17 women and 118 men. Under international conventions that Britain is a signatory to, any persons entering the country, so long as they are not involved in a criminal conspiracy, have the right to seek asylum and have their application dealtwith in the normal course.