California father wants to hug, scold, American Taliban supporter

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (DPA) Frank Lindh, whose 20-year-old American son was captured fighting alongside the Taliban, has said he wanted to both hug and scold John Walker for getting involved with the Islamic extremists.

Fighting to control his emotions as he talked to CNN broadcasters Larry King in a rapid fire interview yesterday, Lindh said his son had converted to Islam at age 16.

He said he was "proud" of Walker for his devotion and commitment to the new religion, even though he was raised as a catholic.

But when he saw broadcast footage of him after he survived a bloody prison uprising in Afghanistan last week that led to the deaths of hundreds of Taliban fighters, he said he was "Upset ..

Troubled and Concerned".

"I want to give him a big hug and maybe a little kick in the butt for what he is up to," Lindh said.

Walker was taken into custody by U.S.

Special Forces, who were treating him for shrapnel and shot wounds.

Lindh said he did not know where he was.

He had hired a lawyer, even though he had "no indication he has done anything wrong." Lindh said Walker had gone to Yemen to study Arabic and the Koran, with his backing, and had ambitions to study at the University in Medina.

But after the terrorist bombing of the USS Kohl in Yemen last year, father and son apparently disagreed over the rationale for the attack.

"We had a difference of political views ...

We had a little father-son debate like I had with my father over Vietnam," Lindh said.

He did not specify, but it appeared that Walker supported the bombing.

In an interview on CNN, Walker said the he voluntarily joined the Taliban after months in Pakistan studying the Koran.

He said the admiration many Muslims held for the Taliban led him to join the militia.

"The people in general have a great love for the Taliban so I started to read some of the literature of the scholars (and) the history of Kabul," he told CNN.

"My heart became attached to that." About us | Advertisers | Other Publications | Subscriptions | Advertising Weather | Letters | Search | Suggestions | Send Mail | Vaishnodevi ________________________________________________________ (c) 1998, The Kashmir Times Press Pvt.

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