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CNN Sunday Morning

Afghanistan Mourns Loss of Vice President Qadir

Aired July 07, 2002 - 09:05   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now let's head to Afghanistan where they're mourning the loss of Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir. He was gunned down yesterday along with his son-in-law by gunmen who fled the scene and have yet to be found. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Bagram with more -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, well, Haji Abdul Qadir has been laid to rest in his home town of Jalalabad in the east of Afghanistan. He was flown there by government helicopter, those helicopters given an escort by the ISAF, International Security and Assistance Force here in Afghanistan. They are the peacekeeping force. They flew with those helicopters all the way to Jalalabad.

Thousands of people turned out in Jalalabad to witness the funeral, and hours earlier in the capitol Kabul, at the main Idgar (ph) Mosque, thousands more well wishers turned out to hear funeral prayers. Among those well wishers, the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, we're told also many other government ministers.

Now some Afghans there in the capital have expressed concern today. They say if a government minister can be shot down in broad daylight in the middle of the day, then what does that mean for the security of normal Afghans in the city, so some concerns here as well as the political implications for Hamid Karzai, the Afghan leader -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Nic Robertson live from Bagram. Thanks, Nic.

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