Taliban ties stun hometown

Associated Press

FAIRFAX, Calif. — Word that a handful of Americans had fought alongside the Taliban came as a particular shock in Fairfax: One of them apparently spent his teen-age years in this wooded, hilly town north of San Francisco.

John Phillip Walker Lindh, who gave his name in Afghanistan as Abdul Hamid, was in the custody of U.S. forces after being found among captured Taliban troops and al-Qaida fighters. He was being treated for undisclosed injuries.

His capture was made-to-order conversation Monday at the cafes in Fairfax. Neighbors wondered aloud whether Walker was an impressionable kid who lost his way or an ideologue who found it.

"If he was pointing a gun at any of my soldier friends, put him on trial," said Russell Decker, 51, a local guitarist. "If not, put him in a mental ward and bring him home."

Another local musician, Neil Lavin, saw Walker’s path to Afghanistan as a spiritual quest.

"I can’t see him as being unpatriotic. This is where his journey led him," said Lavin, 32. "I imagine he lost himself there. Or found himself."

Walker told Newsweek after his capture that he had entered Afghanistan to help the Taliban build a "pure Islamic state." His parents said he had long been fascinated with Islam, he converted at 16, and had a pacifist’s heart for social justice.

Bob Sharpe, 56, a Vietnam veteran and writer, said he expected a lot of legal handwringing over what to do with Walker. Does the U.S. government have jurisdiction over his fate, or the Northern Alliance? Should he be forgiven?

"I think he needs to be arrested and interrogated," Sharpe said. "And I think a lot depends on his attitude."

Andrew Cleverdon, 19, grew up across the street from Walker in Virginia. He said Walker didn’t have any particular fascination with the military.

"I would hate to be in his shoes right now," Cleverdon said. "I was little shocked."

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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