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May 23, 2019

"American Taliban" John Walker Lindh Released on Parole After 17 Years
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John Walker Lindh, an American captured in Afghanistan in 2001 and
convicted of serving the Taliban, is set to be released from an Indiana
prison today after spending 17 years behind bars. Known as the "American
Taliban," Lindh converted to Islam at the age of 16 and ended up in
Afghanistan, where he fought with the Taliban-run Afghan army against
the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan's civil war. He was captured in
late 2001 after being found emaciated and wounded as one of the few to
survive a massacre by the Northern Alliance. He was then handed to U.S.
forces, but they brutalized him, as well. Former Pentagon chief Donald
Rumsfeld had ordered them to "take the gloves off." When he returned to
the United States in January 2002, Lindh was being held as a prisoner
accused of conspiring to kill Americans. As part of a plea deal, Lindh
pleaded guilty to serving in the Taliban army and carrying weapons, and
was given a 20-year sentence.


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