|
American
Captured as Taliban Fighter
Abridged
Version
From a news story by
CNN San Francisco Reporter Rusty Dornin
December 3, 2001
Frank Lindh had not seen nor heard from his son, John Walker, in
seven months. Recently he saw a photo of his son who is a Taliban soldier.
Walker was hungry, weak and could barely walk.
Lindh described his son as very gentle and sweet. He could not believe
that his son would join the Taliban.
When Walker was sixteen, he read the life story of Malcolm X. He was
so impressed by the book, that he changed to the Islam faith and was
no longer a Catholic.
While attending Islam meetings, Walker met Abdullah Nana. Nana never
heard him talk about Afghanistan or the Taliban. Walker told Nana that
he wanted to learn the Arabic language so that he could read the Koran.
In order to learn Arabic, Walker went to Yemen twice to study and then
to Pakistan. There he studied the literature and history of the Taliban.
While studying in Afghanistan, Walker’s heart was stirred by the
Taliban teachings. In May 2001, he decided to join the Taliban army.
When war forced them to retreat, Walker and Taliban troops had to walk
a hundred miles. Then they were captured and taken to a prison in Mazar-e-Sharif.
John Walker was asked questions after his capture. He said that he supported
the terrorist attacks of September 11th.
Frank Lindh doesn’t believe his son meant what he said. He has
hired a lawyer to represent his son. Lindh believes that his son was
scared because of bombs and death all around him. He isn’t sure
that John has done anything wrong. Lindh thinks his son was almost killed
in the war.
For now, the U.S. troops have Walker in custody. It is possible Walker
will be tried in a military court as a traitor or prisoner of war.
Further discussion
When John Walker converted to Islam, he changed his name to Suleyman
Al-Lindh. He attended the Mill Valley Islamic Center while in his teens.
His parents provided monetary support for his trips to Yemen and other
Islam countries to study. Since his arrest, Walker’s parents have
hired a lawyer, but the military may deny him access to legal counsel
or the press.
Walker could face many criminal charges such as treason and possibly
murder. During the prison uprising, Johnny "Mike" Spann, a
CIA official, was killed. Before the revolt, Spann had tried to interview
John Walker. If Walker was involved in Spann’s death, he could
be tried in a federal court for murder. For now, Walker is referred
to as a "battlefield detainee." Legally, the treason charge
may be hard to prove, because the United States has not officially declared
war.
The Pentagon could choose to label Walker as an "illegal combatant"
a term, not for a soldier, but a terrorist.
Related Websites:
©
1999-2002 Cable News Network, Inc.
Literacyworks
Western/Pacific LINCS
All Rights Reserved
|
