DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Between Afghanistan and England, the hijacked plane made stops in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and most recently, Russia. Our coverage continues with CNN's Matthew Chance in Moscow.</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After five hours on the ground in Moscow, the Afghan airliner, refueled and stocked with food, left the Russian capital behind. Before it departed, 10 hostages, all men, were released from the plane. They've been describing their ordeal to</s>CNN. MOHAMMED BESHIR MASHAL, FORMER HOSTAGE (through translator): On February 6th, at 10 o'clock, we flew out of Kabul in the direction of Mazar-i-Sharif. After about 15 or 20 minutes, there was some kind of commotion inside the plane's cabin. We saw eight armed people start giving orders. They were armed with pistols, grenades and knives. They ordered all the passengers not to move, to lower our heads, and then said that they were in command of the flight.</s>CHANCE: On each of its short stopovers since leaving Afghan airspace, small groups of passengers have been set free, mainly the old and the infirm. Most say they were treated well, although it's clear there were tensions.</s>MASHAL (through translator): When the plane was waiting to fly out of Moscow's airport, the hijackers became very strict with all of us. They commanded us to put our heads on our knees and they didn't let anyone go to the bathroom.</s>CHANCE: Officials of the Afghan Embassy in Moscow, opponents of the ruling Taliban authorities in the Afghan capital, Kabul, are distancing themselves from the hijacking. Terrorism, they say, is affecting all Afghan people, not just these latest victims. (on camera): The final stage in the journey of these passengers is likely to be back to Afghanistan. They all say they want to be with their families as early as possible. And officials here say they could be flying home within the next few days. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
Afghan Plane Hijacking: Released Hostages Talk of Their Ordeal