Chechens And Americans Among Surviving Mercenaries In Mazar-i-sharif

Among the surviving prisoners-of-war during the suppression of the revolt of the Taliban members and their supporters in the Kalai-Banghi fortress near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif there are Chechens and Americans. The Fox TV company reported that one of the mercenaries, wounded in the leg, confirmed to the company's correspondent in the broken English than he was from Chechnya. The Fox also reports that in the group of the surviving there is also a man from Baton Rouge (USA,Louisiana). The Newsweek also reports that among the surrendered foreign mercenaries there is 20-year-old John Philip Walker Lynd from the American capital who adopted Islam and changed his name for Abdul Khamid. According to Lynd, he went to Pakistan a year ago to study Islam, found himself under the influence of the Talibs and together with them went to Afghanistan "to build a true Islamic state." The Newsweek says that Abdul Khamid (John Lynd) was put under arrest by the American special task unit. The journal believes that he may be tried by the military tribunal. Among the 84 prisoners-of-war who hid themselves in the basement of the ancient fortress, transformed into a jail, there are citizens of Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Chechnya. It was the latter who initiated disturbances in the fortress; they exploded themselves and two military chiefs from the Northern Alliance who had come to inspect the fortress.