Does one who returns from Afghanistan count as a deserter from the battle?

The questioner : Does the one who returns from Afghanistan count as a deserter from the battle?

The Shaykh : We answer this question by saying: The one who goes there to strive in the path of Allah truly must adhere to the rulings of the Shari'ah. Among these is that his going there is not a leisure trip; that is, he does not go whenever it pleases him to travel to strive in the path of Allah, and return whenever he misses his family. It is not like that. It is obligatory, and it is necessary, that he be a soldier in the true sense, obedient to his leaders and commanders, and so on. If it occurs to him to return to his country, his family, or his homeland—and all lands of Islam are the homeland—it is necessary that he seek permission from the commander responsible for him. If the commander grants him permission, and the permission is not in its proper place, such as... the sin is upon the one who granted permission, not upon the one who was granted permission. If the commander did not grant him permission, and he did not respond to this prohibition but rather insisted on his own will and returned, then he is a sinner and is considered a deserter from the battle.