Pakistan okays assault on jet hijackers
| Damascus, Syria
Pakistan said Monday Syria was free to launch a commando attack to rescue more than 100 hostages aboard a hijacked Pakistani jetliner in Damascus and ruled out releasing "hardened criminals" to appease the hijackers. The Pakistani plane held for a week in Afghanistan landed in Syria nearly out of fuel and the three hijackers threatened "decisive action" u nless Pakistan frees all political prisoners.