Accused Russian Taliban depicted in U.S. court as assault mastermind

RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - Accused Taliban fighter Irek Hamidullin, the first military prisoner from Afghanistan to be tried in U.S. federal court, was portrayed by prosecutors and testimony Friday as the commander behind an attack on U.S. and Afghan forces six years ago near the Pakistan border.

Hamidullin, a former Soviet army officer believed to be in his 50s, faces 15 criminal counts ranging from supporting terrorists to firearms offences stemming from the 2009 assault on Camp Leyza, an Afghan border police base in eastern Afghanistan’s Khost province.