AFGHANISTAN MOURNS ASSASSINATION OF HAJI QADEER ISLAMABAD, JULY 9 (KUNA) -- AFGHANS ON TUESDAY OBSERVED THE NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING FOR THEIR ASSASSINATED VICE PRESIDENT HAJI ABDUL QADEER AS NATIONAL FLAGS FLEW AT HALF-MAST THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND AFGHAN DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AROUND THE WORLD, AFGHAN ISLAMIC PRESS (AIP) SAID HERE.
ONE OF THE THREE VICE PRESIDENTS OF AFGHANISTAN HAJI ABDUL QADEER WAS ASSASSINATED BY TWO UNIDENTIFIED GUNMEN ON SATURDAY OUTSIDE HIS OFFICE BUILDING IN AFGHAN CAPITAL KABUL.
HE WAS BURIED IN HIS ANCESTRAL CITY OF JALALABAD AMID EMOTIONAL SCENES ON SUNDAY.
SPECIAL PRAYERS WERE ALSO OFFERED IN THE MOSQUES ACROSS THE LAND-LOCKED COUNTRY TODAY.
AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI AND HIS CABINET ON MONDAY DECIDED TO SEEK THE ASSISTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY FORCE (ISAF) FOR MINISTERIAL COMMISSION TO HUNT DOWN THE KILLERS OF HAJI QADEER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SAID AIP.
MEANWHILE, COMMANDER OF THE ISAF TURKISH MAJOR GENERAL AKIN ZORLU SAID ON TUESDAY IT WOULD ASSIST TO ARREST ASSASSINS OF HAJI QADEER, ACCORDING TO AIP.
HAJI ABDUL QADEER, WHO WAS ALSO PUBLIC WORKS MINISTER AND GOVERNOR OF THE EASTERN NANGAHAR PROVINCE OF WHICH JALABAD IS THE CAPITAL, WAS A HERO OF THE 1979-89 WAR AGAINST SOVIET UNION. HE WAS A POWERFUL WARLORD OF ETHNIC PASHTUN GROUP AND FOUGHT WITH THE TAJIK AND UZBEK DOMINATED NORTHERN ALLIANCE TO OUST THE TALIBAN REGIME FROM AFGHANISTAN. (END) MYK.MAB KUNA 091457 Jul 02NNNN