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Afghan jet hijackers free eight

STANSTED (Britain): Hijackers who diverted an Afghan jet to London released eight passengers on Monday but were still holding some 150 hostages, even as the motive for the piracy remained a mystery.

The hijackers freed the eight hostges from the Boeing 727 jet, which landed at Britain's Standsted airport early on Monday after a dramatic odyssey from Afghanistan to Britain via Central Asia and Russia.

Amid palpable tension at the airport northeast of London, British police were locked in negotiations with the air bandits, seeking reassurances on the welfare of some 150 remaining hostages, including 21 children.ÑAFP