In a first, a Taliban fighter was tried in US federal courts and sentenced to a life term plus 30 years in prison.
The convict, Irek Hamidullin, 55, is a former Soviet army tank officer who had converted to Islam. He said: "As a Muslim, I don't accept your law. I don't acknowledge this court."
He had been caught after the Taliban attacked an Afghan border police station in 2009. Among the Taliban fighters who were fighting the US Army and Afghanistan Army, Irek had been the sole survivor.
The US and Afghan armies were unharmed.
The prison sentence was handed down by US District Court Judge Henry Hudson after Irek presented a defence that lasted 30 minutes.
His defence speech had mentions of Jesus Christ and Allah. He used an interpreter for it.
He argued that he was not a terrorist and held the right to defend his country against an aggressor. He compared the US' "interference" in Afghanistan to fascism.
The judge, prior to announcing the verdict, pointed out a sentence which Hamidullin had supposedly said to an FBI agent: "If I see you in the street, I will have to kill you as an infidel."
The judge said that statement ensures that he is a threat to society.
However, Hamidullin said his statement was misconstrued, and what he meant to say was if he saw the FBI agent on the streets in Afghanistan he would have to kill him as the agent was an infidel and was in Afghanistan as an invader.
The public defender working Hamidullin's case, Paul Gill, said he would appeal the convictions and the sentence.
Irek was charged with supporting the Taliban for providing material resources and for attempting to kill US and Afghan soldiers, reports Reuters.
