How do we consider the sad case of John Walker? He is the American who fought for the Taliban and was recently captured and imprisoned by Northern Alliance forces.

It is said he went to Pakistan and joined the Taliban to find a culture founded in pure Islamic principles. All well and good, but his faith in those principles found him fighting against his homeland.

Was he brainwashed or just naive as he joined the repressive Taliban? How happy is Walker now that he is in American custody and possibly will be judged under our principles instead of Afghan law?

It may have been difficult for Mr. Walker to get out of the Taliban once he joined. However, it didn’t help that he is reported to have made comments about the rightness of the September 11 attacks on his home soil.

Walker will have his day in court and will be able to defend himself against charges of being traitor to his country. He will not receive swift execution such as the Taliban handed out to Afghan citizens for offenses.

He would do well to give American officials as much information about the Taliban to help himself and his country.

Unfortunate decisions California native Walker made in the past, in a religious fervor, have put him in a difficult position of being a man without a country. The Afghanistan he once knew is gone, and his original country must try to find justice for one of its own gone astray.