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CNN Sunday Morning

Kabul Authorities Investigate Shooting

Aired February 17, 2002 - 07:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: In Afghanistan, interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai says he cabinet is united in punishing those responsible for the death of Afghanistan's aviation and tourism minister. Abdul Rahman was killed Thursday at Kabul's airport. Several members of Karzai's own government have been arrested in connection with the killing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, CHAIRMAN, AFGHAN INTERIM ADMINISTRATION: The people that committed the crime will be dealt with very, very sternly. They will not be any lenient hand there. They'll be given to justice. They have committed a murder and let justice decide. Let the courts decide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Authorities in Kabul are also investigating the shooting yesterday of an Afghan man by British peacekeepers. CNN's Brian Palmer joins us on the phone from Kabul with the latest on these developments.

Brian, the question is, can Karzai maintain stability.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Karzai has promised that he will maintain stability. It remains to be seen whether that can happen. We've talked to a number of people who say that relatively speaking, Kabul is calm. We're actually standing, right now, in the neighborhood called Behind the Silo because it's behind an old Russian Silo. And this is the neighborhood in which that gentleman was killed.

The people here say that he was shot by members of the international security and assistance forces. The members of ISAF are telling us that it is under investigation and they could not comment.

Now, another major development - the foreign ministry tells us that the - two of the suspects in the assassination, alleged assassination of Dr. Abdul Rahman, have been apprehended in Saudi Arabia and that they are negotiating with the Saudi government to extradite them to Afghanistan. This is something that we just learned moments ago. Hamid Karzai went to talk with the representative of the Saudi government here in Kabul - Jeanne.

MESERVE: Brian, any sign yet of the U.S. aide to Karzai and his government?

PALMER: Not that - not that we can see here at this moment. At the press conference earlier, Chairman Karzai announced the signing of checks that represent the first $1.6 million in aide from United Arab - United Arab Emirates. And they were essentially parceling it out to the ministries that they felt needed the money quickest. It's not a huge amount of money. Some ministries got $300,000, others got $20,000, but it's a start as they say - Jeanne.

MESERVE: Brian Palmer in Kabul.

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