By Kate Clark BBC Kabul correspondent

Haji Abdul Qadir: Controversial figure who was loved and hated

Fleets of land cruisers with dark-tinted windows brought virtually every man with power in the new Afghanistan to Kabul's main mosque for the state funeral of murdered vice-president, Haji Qadir.

Thousands of mourners attended prayers at the ceremony, which was followed by a burial in his home province of Nangahar.

They included the head of state, Hamid Karzai, ministers and mujahideen commanders - all coming to pay their last respects to the minister who was assassinated on Saturday.

Also shot dead was Qadir's son-in law who was the driver of the car which was ambushed outside his office.

Large crowds

This is a big loss for the whole Afghan nation

Mourner

The coffin, draped with the Afghan flag, was carried into the mosque through crowds of thousands of people.

"He was a man of peace," said one mourner.

"This is a big loss for the whole Afghan nation.

"I'm also from Nangahar province. I've come today for his funeral prayers."

He was against Taleban but he was also a warlord

Opponent

But not every Afghan agrees with the official line that the former vice-president was a hero of the resistance.

Another man from Nangahar said: "He was against Taleban. But he was also a warlord.

"We know him. In 23 years of war, all the warlords have done something - money, bribing and killing people.

"It's good that he's been killed - the start of all of them, we hope."

Security fears

Above the mosque, German helicopters were flown by international peacekeepers, ensuring the tightest of security.

However, this assassination has raised fears in a city where - in contravention of the Bonn Peace Accords - there has still been no demilitarisation or disarmament.

Din Mohammed has had two of his brothers assassinated in a year

Chief among the mourners was Qadir's brother, Din Mohammed.

He said: "They have to pay attention to security.

"If they can't protect their own people, their own ministers, what can the government do?"

This is the second brother Din Mohammed has lost in a year.

Last autumn, Commander Abdul Haq was captured and executed by the Taleban after he tried to stir tribal uprisings inside Afghanistan.

"That's the nature of our country at the moment," he said as he walked away through the crowd.

Final ceremony

Along with other family members and cabinet ministers, Din Mohammed got into military helicopters to accompany the bodies to the family home in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Gunmen ambushed Qadir's car and sprayed it with bullets

For the five kilometres of road from Jalalabad airport to the family home, there were mourners, there to see the coffins being drawn along on a gun carriage towards the family ceremony.

The most powerful man in the east of Afghanistan is now dead and buried.

Qadir leaves no obvious successors for his business and military interests.

That may be destabilising for the eastern region. The coming days will be critical.