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'John Walker' Says He Was Part of Arab Fighters Funded by bin Laden
Thursday, December 20, 2001
By Christopher Newton / Associated Press Writer

Referring to jihad, Islamic holy war, he said, "It's exactly what I thought it would be." Asked if the Taliban's cause was the right one, Walker said: "Definitely!"

WASHINGTON -- AP
Lying in a hospital bed, cringing from the pain of a gunshot wound, American Taliban John Walker Lindh said he had served with a group of Arab fighters financed by Osama bin Laden.

He also said he had attended a training camp run by bin Laden, the wealthy Saudi-born fugitive accused of masterminding the September attacks on the United States.

Lindh told his story in an interview done Dec. 2 by a CNN reporter, just after Lindh was captured. It was aired in its entirety for the first time Wednesday.

Lindh, from San Anselmo, Calif., said leaders of the Afghanistan's once-dominant Taliban militia organized fighters in branches based on ethnic groups. At first, Lindh stayed with Taliban fighters from Pakistan, where he had been studying Islam. He then was put with the group of Arab fighters -- the Ansar -- who were paid for by bin Laden. Lindh can speak Arabic.
(More: The Citizen Online News Source)
2001 © The Associated Press.

Dan