Page "John Walker Lindh" Paragraph 10

Lindh was captured on November 25, 2001, by Afghan Northern Alliance forces after his Al-Qaeda foreign fighters unit surrendered at Kunduz after retreating from Takar.

He and other fighters were questioned by Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) officers Johnny " Mike " Spann and Dave " Dawson " Tyson at General Dostum's military garrison, Qala-i-Jangi, near Mazār-e Sharīf.

As shown on British Channel 4 news, Spann asks Lindh, " Are you a member of the IRA?

" He was asked this question because, when questioned by Spann, an Iraqi in the group identified Lindh as an English speaker.

Lindh had been told to say he was " Irish " in order to avoid problems.

Moments later, around 11 am, the makeshift prison was the scene of a violent Taliban uprising, known as the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi, in which Spann was killed along with hundreds of foreign fighters.

According to other captives interviewed by Robert Young Pelton for CNN, Lindh was fully aware of the planned uprising, yet remained silent and did not cooperate with the Americans.