DUSHANBE, September 23, 2011 Asia-Plus -- Several thousand Afghans arrived in Kabul to attend the funeral ceremony Afghanistan''s peace talks chief Burhanuddin Rabbani that took place on September 23.

The funeral ceremony of Burhanuddin Rabbani, killed by a suicide bomber, took place in Kabul amid tight security.

President Hamid Karzai joined mourners for the state funeral at the presidential palace.

The BBC reports Mr. Karzai told the mourners he would continue with the peace process.  “The blood of the martyred and other martyrs of freedom requires us to continue our efforts until we reach peace and stability,” he said.  “It is our responsibility to act against those who are enemies of peace.”

Mr. Karzai accused Rabbani''s killers of using “trick and deception,” abusing Afghan and Islamic customs.

Servicemen with caps and white gloves had carried the coffin, draped in the national flag, to a dais state outside the presidential palace.

Officials then lined up to pay individual tribute to Rabbani, bowing at the coffin.

According to the BBC, there were emotional scenes as Rabbani''s body arrived later at the hilltop overlooking his Kabul home for the burial service.

Reuters reports gunfire was heard but police said they were firing shots into the air to disperse some in the crowd who had thrown stones at the cars of government officials.

The capital''s diplomatic zone was in security lockdown, amid fears insurgents could try to disrupt proceedings.  Cars were banned from the area and residents and mourners were searched.

The head of Kabul''s criminal investigations unit, Mohammad Zahir, told AFP that they have taken extra measures by deploying thousands of policemen.

Rabbani, the chairman of the High Peace Council, was killed on September 20 by a bomb hidden in a turban worn by a man claiming to be a Taliban envoy.

No group has said it carried out Rabbani''s killing but Afghan intelligence officials say they believe it must have taken months to plan.  On Wednesday, the Taliban issued their first public statement on the killing, saying they did not want to comment.

Rabbani was instrumental in the establishment of the Afghan mujahideen who took on the Soviet invaders in the 1980s.

He later became president but was ousted by the Taliban in 1996. After that he became the nominal head of the Northern Alliance.  When they swept back into Kabul, backed by US forces, and toppled the Taliban in 2001, he was still recognized by the UN as the official president of Afghanistan.