'Fighter was illiterate'

Australian Taliban fighter David Hicks was rejected from the regular army in his own country, it has been revealed.

The former factory worker turned terrorist attempted to join the Australian Defence Force in the 1990s but was rejected because he was barely literate, says his former girlfriend.

Mr Hicks, from Adelaide, is being held in Afghanistan after being arrested on the weekend for allegedly fighting alongside members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

"He wanted to join the army but they said no because he couldn't read or write," said Linda White, who had a relationship with Mr Hicks in 1997-98.