Afghanistan's Vice President Assassinated Today
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The new Afghan government is reeling from a crippling blow by assassins. Gunmen killed one of Afghanistan's three vice presidents on a street in Kabul today. The murder directly challenges the government's ability to bring security to the country. CNN's John Raedler reports.</s>JOHN RAEDLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The scene of an assassination. The wrecked van that carried Afghan Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir to his death riddled with two dozen bullet holes.</s>OMAR SAMAD, AFGHAN GOVT. SPOKESMAN: This tragic incident is a loss for us. We've lost a friend, a good leader in this country.</s>RAEDLER: Alarming enough that one of Afghanistan's three vice presidents could be shot dead. More alarming that it could happen this way, in the middle of the day in the middle of the capital. Also surprising was the fact that Mr. Qadir had no security guards with him, but that's the way he wanted it.</s>SAMAD: A colleague and a friend of ours who spent several hours with him last night said he didn't really believe in having lots of security guards around.</s>RAEDLER (on camera): The vehicle came through here, the main gates of the Ministry of Public Works. It was a right hand drive, so the driver on this side, the passenger on this. Officials say two gunmen jumped from behind bushes just over there, and opened fire. I counted eight separate bullet holes in the windshield. The passenger side window where Mr. Qadir was sitting, completely blown it. The vehicle continued a short distance, still under heavy fire, crashed into a wall. Both occupants dead. (voice-over): Eyewitnesses say the two gunmen jumped into a passing taxi and sped off. As for who did it and why there are no definite answers yet. Mr. Qadir was a well known warlord in eastern Afghanistan. He had been a fierce foe of the Taliban and a leading commander in the Northern Alliance's fight to topple the extremist Islamic regime. But to the new transitional government, there is only one word to describe his murderers.</s>SAMAD: Whoever is behind this very cowardly act is considered by the government first of all as a terrorist.</s>RAEDLER: This is the second assassination of an Afghan Cabinet minister this year. The minister for civil aviation and tourism was shot at Kabul Airport in February. But the new government vows not to be intimidated.</s>SAMAD: They are not going to deter us from the path that we've have started toward bringing peace and stability to this country.</s>RAEDLER: The new Afghan government has been criticized for not being able to control areas beyond Kabul, but today's events suggests it is not able to control areas in Kabul. John Raedler, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.