TRAGIC CIA HERO GRILLED THE RAT By JOHN LEHMANN American Taliban fighter John Walker refused to cooperate with CIA man Johnny "Mike" Spann in an extraordinary face-to-face confrontation only hours before the agent was killed in a bloody prison riot staged by the turncoat and his cohorts. Walker, 20, remained sullen and speechless as Spann and another agent, known only as "Dave," asked him to help provide information during an interrogation at the Afghan fort where he was being held prisoner. Even when Walker was told he could die if he didn't cooperate, he kept his mouth shut. The meeting, filmed by an Afghan cameraman and reported by Newsweek magazine yesterday, is further evidence that Walker - who could be tried for treason - was strongly devoted to the Taliban army and knew he was fighting directly against Americans. Spann, a 32-year-old husband and father who grew up in Alabama, was killed when the 3,000 Taliban prisoners - including Walker - revolted, throwing hand grenades and seizing weapons from Northern Alliance guards. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Walker was involved in the uprising and was found after the riot carrying an AK-47. After attending a memorial service for Spann yesterday in his hometown of Winfield, Ala., a close family friend, Tracy Estes, told The Post it was impossible to understand how an American citizen could "trade sides." "I just can't understand [Walker's] logic or work out what he was thinking," Estes said. Spann came face to face with Walker on a blanket spread over the bare earth floor of the northern Afghan fortress of Qalai Janghi on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 25. Walker, known inside the prison by his Muslim name, Abdul Hamid, was among prisoners questioned before the uprising. A U.S. official said the CIA was not aware that Walker, whose family lives in California, was an American. His elbows tied behind his back, Walker was pushed down on the blanket, his head bowed, his long hair obscuring his face. Squatting at the edge of the blanket, with a Kalashnikov rifle strapped across his back, Spann attempted to break Walker out of his trance by clicking his fingers twice in front of his face. Spann said, "Who brought you here? Wake up! Who brought you here? How did you get here? Hello?" After failing to get a response, Spann and Dave spoke to each other within earshot of Walker. Dave said, "The problem is, he's got to decide if he wants to live or die. If he wants to die, he's going to die here. "Or he's going to f- - -ing spend the rest of his short f- - -ing life in prison. It's his decision, man. "We can only help the guys who want to talk to us. We can only get the Red Cross to help so many guys." Spann later tried a softer approach, telling Walker, "They [the Sept. 11 hijackers] killed other Muslims. There were several hundred other Muslims killed in the bombing. Are you going to talk to us?" After Walker still refused to respond, the film shows, Spann stood with his hands on his hips and Dave kicked the dust in frustration, according to Newsweek. When he was being photographed, Walker refused to pull his hair back. An Afghan guard held the prisoner's head in place and pulled his hair back as Spann took a picture before Walker was escorted back to other captives sitting on the floor of the fort. Hours later, the fort exploded in violence - and Spann's body was recovered by British and American soldiers. Walker's San Francisco lawyer, Jim Brosnahan, declined to comment yesterday. Walker, who converted to Islam as a 16-year-old high-school student four years ago, is being held by U.S. Special Forces. The Justice Department is assessing what charges will be brought against him.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2001