American Taliban fighter faces civilian custody

The American captured with Taliban fighters is being held by Marines in Afghanistan and will be handed over to US civilian authorities as soon as possible, the Pentagon has said.

How John Walker’s case will be handled has not been decided, spokesman Rear Adm Craig Quigley said. Lawyers from the departments of Defence and Justice are ‘‘working on the way ahead on that’’, he said from the war’s command centre in Tampa, Florida.