President Bush described the American turncoat who fought for the Taliban as a “poor fellow” yesterday – but former U.S. military chiefs and war veterans want him tried for treason.
As the fate of John Walker Lindh hung in the balance and debate raged, the president took pity, saying the 20 year-old Islamic convert may have been misled.
“He thought he was going to fight for a great cause and, in fact, he was going to support a government that was one of the most repressive governments in the history of mankind,” Bush said.
But there was no room for remorse in the minds of U.S. vets who faced the horrors of war in Vietnam and the Gulf.
Veterans, including a retired major-general, told The Post that fighting for the enemy is a “heinous crime,” and Walker must be charged with treason.
Maj.-Gen. Paul Vallely, who fought in Vietnam, said Walker, a Californian, was far from being a naive child – he appeared to be a combatant for a force that supported terrorists.
“You cannot let somebody go without justice being served,” Vallely said.
“We have to remember what happened on Sept. 11. This must be decided on the facts, not emotion.”
Vallely said an investigation should be conducted to determine Walker’s legal status and his involvement with the Taliban.
If Walker surrendered his citizenship by fighting for the Taliban, he could be tried in a military tribunal, Vallely said.
But if he remained a citizen, despite supporting the Taliban, he could be tried for treason in the U.S. federal courts.
Gulf War veteran Steve Thomas, speaking on behalf of the American Legion, said it was “unconscionable that an American would fight for the other side.”
“It’s absolutely heinous to be fighting on the side that supports terrorists who caused such horrific loss in America,” he said.
“While America binds its wounds, justice must be administered to the terrorists and those who support them.”
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) backed the veterans’ call.
“At a minimum, he ought to be tried for treason in an American court,” he said.
Walker’s parents, Frank Lindh and Marilyn Walker, have hired an attorney to conduct the family’s dealings with the U.S. government.
Lindh, of San Rafael, Calif, told CNN he wants to give his son a “little kick up the butt,” but admitted he appeared to be a fighter.
“This is hard for me to reconcile with the John that I know, but he was carrying an AK-47, according to one story,” Lindh, a lawyer, said.
“So he appears to have been a combatant with the Taliban.”
Walker, who converted to Islam as a 16-year-old high-school student four years ago, is being held by U.S. forces in a secret location in Afghanistan.
U.S. government lawyers are assessing how to handle the case while military officials question Walker on his involvement with the Taliban.
Walker has said he trained at a terrorist camp funded by Osama bin Laden and fought with Muslim militia in Kashmir before returning to Afghanistan.
He was taken into custody after being involved in a prison uprising with 3,000 Taliban soldiers.
A CIA operative was killed in the clash.
Bush said yesterday the government is “trying to learn the facts about this poor fellow.”