John Walker Lindh

'Allegiance to Jihad'

Most Americans didn't believe Walker Lindh's father when the public first was introduced to Walker Lindh, or the "Taliban American" as he became known.

When found in Afghanistan by U.S. military forces in November 2001, Walker Lindh was shoeless, covered in dirt and lying in a hospital bed, where he was recovering from wounds received in the prison battle. Initially, Walker Lindh expressed reluctance to be taped, but with the camera rolling and lights on, he told his story to CNN.

Bearded, his face coated in grime, he appeared exhausted as he described his battlefield experiences and his reasons for becoming a Taliban soldier.

"I was a student in Pakistan, studying Islam," Walker-Lindh told CNN in a non-American accent, which he attributed to the fact he been speaking Arabic exclusively for months. "I came into contact with many people who were connected with the Taliban.

"I was in [Pakistan's] Northwest Frontier Province. The people there in general have a great love for the Taliban. So I started to read some of the literature of the scholars and my heart became attached to it. I wanted to help them one way or another."

In secret documents summarizing his interrogations by U.S. troops and FBI officials, Walker Lindh said that he studied Arabic and Islam in Yemen starting in July 1998 and, after a brief return home to California, he returned to Yemen.

He went to Pakistan in October 2000 and joined a radical Islamic group, getting military training to fight against Indian forces in Kashmir. After becoming disillusioned with the cause, according to interrogation reports, Walker Lindh asked to join the Taliban.

Because he was not native to Afghanistan and did not speak the local languages, Walker Lindh said he joined the "Arab group" -- or al Qaeda, headed by bin Laden. Aware of al Qaeda's anti-U.S. position, he agreed to attend their camp, the documents said.

Walker Lindh told interrogators that he declined to take part in operations against Israel and the United States, but continued with his training and even met bin Laden.

"At some point during the training, Lindh said he had been offered to swear allegiance to ... al Qaeda," an FBI document said. "Lindh stated that he declined, however he swore allegiance to Jihad" -- or holy war against enemies of Islam, as defined by al Qaeda.