Afghan Vice-President Assassinated in Kabul

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, July 07, 2002

Afghan Vice-President Assassinated in Kabul

Vice-President Haji Abdul Qadeer of the Afghan Transitional Government was shot dead at 12:30 p.m. (local time) Saturday in Kabul.

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Afghan Vice-President Assassinated

Vice-President Haji Abdul Qadeer of the Afghan Transitional Government was shot dead at 12:30 p.m. (local time) Saturday in Kabul.

When the car carrying Qadeer, who was also the minister of the public works, came out of the gate of the Ministry of Public Works,two gunmen opened fire from a taxi three meters away. Qadeer and his driver were dead on the spot.

The two killers ran away immediately after they opened fire. The black landcruiser of the vice president crashed into the bounding wall of the ministry.

After the assassination, police found four rifles and two walkie-talkies under the carpet of the room of the ministry's guards, according to Mahammad Khalil Amin-Zada, an official of Kabul police department.

Din Mahammad Jurhat, public security chief of the ministry, said that totally there are 14 guards with five rifles working in the ministry. But four guards and one rifle are disappeared after the incident. All of the 10 remaining guards have been arrested bypolice.

The guards of the ministry were former members of the Taliban. Police suspect that the assassination was either done by the guards themselves or the Taliban members who have connection with the guards.

After the assassination, President Karzai called an emergency meeting of his Cabinet and the interior ministry moved quickly to set up checkpoints throughout the capital searching vehicles for the killers.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Omar Samad said "This is a terroristattack." "But it won't stop us from making this country a safer place. The killers have to be found."

Qadir was appointed one of three vice presidents last month at the Loya Jirga grand assembly. He also served as governor of Nangarhar province and played a leading role in last year's ousterof the Taliban.

It was the second Cabinet minister assassinated since the Taliban was ousted last year.

On Feb. 14, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Abdul Rahman was killed at Kabul airport. Rahman was initially reported killed by a mob of Muslim pilgrims angered that they were delayed to travel to Mecca.

Karzai later blamed Rahman's killing on a conspiracy which involved members of the police and intelligence services.

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