DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: A hijacked Afghan airliner is flying toward Western Europe, but it's not clear where the plane will land next. The journey began Saturday when the plane was overtaken by hijackers during a flight from Kabul to northern Afghanistan. The jet has made stops in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and most recently in Russia. CNN's Matthew Chance is in Moscow with the latest for us -- Matthew.</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Donna. Well, as you say that Afghan hijacked Boeing 727 left Moscow within the last few hours. It's, according to Russian officials, en route to an undisclosed location somewhere in Europe. The latest reports we have from air traffic control is that the aircraft has now left Russian airspace and is currently flying over the country of Belarus. The aircraft was on the ground here in Moscow for some five hours under tight security. Hundreds of police and special forces and sniper teams at the airport facility to the northwest of Moscow imposing tight security on the ground there. During that five hours here in Moscow, the hijackers were said to be in close contact with the Russian authorities. The aircraft was refueled. Food was delivered on board. The pilots were issued with maps of Europe with the main airports of European cities highlighted on them. And an air corridor was agreed with Russian air traffic control to allow that plane to take off and to head westwards out of Russian airspace into European airspace. And that is indeed what has happened. Well, before the plane departed Moscow, though, at least nine passengers were released by the hijackers, all of them men. Russian officials say that now leaves at least 20 women on board, 23 children, and an undisclosed number of men still being held hostage on board that Afghan airliner. Well, as I say, it has now left Moscow. It is en route to what Russian officials say may be a major European city -- Donna.</s>KELLEY: Matthew Chance in Moscow, thanks very much.
Hijacked Jet Heads Into Western Europe