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CNN Sunday Morning

John Walker Described as `Battlefield Detainee'

Aired December 09, 2001 - 08:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: And now for the latest on John Walker, the 20-year-old American who fought alongside the Taliban. He is in the custody of U.S. Marines, who describe him as a battlefield detainee, awaiting handover to civilian authorities.

For the latest on Walker's fate, we turn to reporter David Wright in southern Afghanistan.

David, what can you tell us?

DAVID WRIGHT, POOL REPORTER: Well, Jeanne, John Walker is now the only prisoner on this base -- Camp Rhino in southern Afghanistan near Kandahar. He is being held here, as you mentioned, as a battlefield detainee, kind of a murky designation. But he is being accorded all of the rights and privileges that he would get as an enemy prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention. That means he is getting food, he is getting, water, he is getting shelter and security protection here on the base.

Officials here won't say where exactly on the compound they are holding him, and they won't give us access to him to talk to him or to even see the conditions under which he is living. They say under the Geneva Convention, only the International Red Cross has that right.

And although his family and his attorney have made it clear that they would very much like to see him, and they are willing to travel wherever is necessary to do so, it's not clear when and where or how he will be able to see them.

MESERVE: David, do we know if he is cooperating with authorities, providing intelligence information to them?

WRIGHT: He has done, since he was apprehended near that fort near Mazar-e Sharif, where there was that vicious four-day battle between forces of the Northern Alliance and captured soldiers who had arms still in their custody. Since he was one of the 86 folks who were captured there, he has provided useful information to intelligence officials, telling them the clearest account, for instance, of that battle, and what exactly transpired there.

What we don't know is what, if anything, he is saying here at Camp Rhino. That is a closely-guarded secret, and we haven't even been able to confirm that anyone that we have been speaking to has actually spoken to him. We know that officials here are hopeful that he will be able to provide them with information that will help them in their search for outstanding members of the al Qaeda network.

And in fact, he's not the only one that they hope will provide them with useful information. Here at Camp Rhino, they are in the process of building a detention center for other prisoners, who might be able to provide useful information. They say they don't want this to turn into a prison camp. However, they do intend to question everyone that they find who may have information that may be of use to the U.S. forces here.

MESERVE: Now, David, we do know that Walker was wounded. What do we know about his present health status, if anything?

WRIGHT: I am not able to give you any fresh details on that. He was shot in the leg during that skirmish in Qala Jhangi, the prison compound or the fortress compound up near Mazar-e-Sharif. And he suffered some injuries there. He also appeared to be very thin and very wan.

I don't know whether he is in better condition now, but we do know that he is receiving medical care here at the base if he is in need of it.

MESERVE: David Wright at Camp Rhino -- thank you for filling us in on the latest on John Walker.

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