Prince Harry has been accused of revealing the number of Taliban soldiers he has killed in order to get extra security at taxpayers’ expense.
The Duke of Sussex is in an ongoing legal battle with the Home Office over his UK security details.
Now critics have suggested Harry may have thought his case would benefit from describing his exploits during two tours in Afghanistan.
In his memoir Spare, Harry described “six missions which ended in the taking of human life”, noting that they were “all deemed justified” by himself and his superiors.
The decision to include such graphic detail in his book sparked widespread outrage, even in Afghanistan calling for Harry to be brought to justice.
Prince Harry on patrol in the deserted town of Garmsir in southern Afghanistan, left in 2008 and right during his 2012 deployment
The Duke is in an ongoing legal battle with the Home Office over his safety in the UK. Pictured: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Rotorua, New Zealand in 2018
dr Alan Mendoza, of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, told The Sun the comments were “calculated”.
“Prince Harry’s claims about the number of Taliban he may have killed – whether true or not – appear designed to achieve one goal: to provide himself with extra security at the expense of British taxpayers.
“All he’s managed to do is give a despicable regime a free PR hit in response to his poorly worded comments.”
Mawlavi Mohammad Qasim, a Taliban media director, attempted to capitalize on the details in Harry’s memoirs by suggesting that they “reveal the true colors of the Western world.”
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams previously told Web that Harry’s admission could be seen as a tactic “to get the reassurance he needs to visit the UK”.
Questions are now being asked as to whether Harry thought describing his exploits during two tours in Afghanistan would benefit his case. Pictured: Prince Harry conducts early morning pre-flight checks in the cockpit of a helicopter in 2012
“It occurred to me that he could use this most unusual admission to put pressure on the Home Office to give him what he wants, either pay 24/7 police protection when he’s here, or alternatively give him a favorable assessment received for taxpayer-funded security that he lost when he and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals.
“He is currently challenging the Home Office in court over the matter, the extent of the threat being assessed by the Executive Committee on Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which reports to the Home Office.”
“Now it could be credibly claimed that there is a new threat.”
The last update of his legal challenge to the Home Office came in July, when Harry won a bid to bring a High Court case against the Ministry.
The challenge concerns the February 2020 decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) on his safety.
The decision to include such graphic detail in his book sparked widespread outrage, even in Afghanistan calling for Harry to be brought to justice. Pictured: Harry sits in an armored vehicle in Helmand province in February 2008
He was told at the time that he would no longer receive the “same level” of personal protective equipment when visiting.
The prince’s open confessions have also made it dangerous for westerners who have remained in Kabul. Animal rights group chief Pen Farthing announced Friday night that he was forced to flee the city for fear of retaliatory attacks.
Ex-Army Chief Colonel Richard Kemp also warned that Harry’s admissions could “provoke” pro-Taliban sympathizers “to retaliate against him” and possibly “incite some people to attempt an attack on British soldiers anywhere in the world.” “.
His revelations marked the first time Harry had given the number of insurgents he had personally killed during his time in Afghanistan, where he went in both 2007-8 and 2012 and flew an Apache attack helicopter during his second tour.
In the memoir, Harry acknowledged that many of his comrades could not say exactly how many people they killed during the war.
Prince Harry was pictured next to an Apache helicopter on October 31, 2012. He revealed in his memoirs that all of the killings were caught on video, which was later played and analyzed
But he said he made it a priority to keep records from the moment he arrived, hold himself accountable and keep his conscience clear.
The prince was first deployed as a forward air controller in Helmand province in 2007, but his first tour of duty was cut short when an Australian magazine accidentally broke a media embargo.
He returned with the Department of Defense in 2012 and released his second deployment on the understanding that the media would allow him to proceed with the task at hand.
After learning to fly Apache helicopters, Harry was deployed to Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan in 2012, where he stayed for 20 weeks.
During his 2012 tour, Harry helped provide helicopter support to the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan Defense Forces operating throughout Helmand Province.
From Camp Bastion, the 662 Squadron Army Air Corps of which he was a part flew more than a hundred targeted missions over 2,500 flight hours, providing surveillance, deterrence and, if necessary, close combat attack capabilities, as well as escort duties for other aircraft.
Captain Wales qualified as co-pilot gunner in February 2012.
He was posted to 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, to gain further flying experience and operate the Apache on a series of exercises before deploying to Afghanistan in September 2012.
Harry trained to fly in the front seat as a mission or aircraft commander, but most of the time he operated the Apache’s sights, sensors, and weapon systems.
Upon his return to the UK, he was hailed by his peers and bosses as “at his best” during the tour.
The Duke of Sussex in Helmand during his first official trip in 2008
He received no special treatment and worked, ate and slept under the same basic conditions as the other pilots. It was, in his own words, “as normal as it gets. I’m one of them, I’m not treated differently.
Spare will hit shelves on January 10th
The Taliban have already mocked Harry, calling him a “loudmouth loser” for his exposure.
In the summer of 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in a lightning offensive that swept across the country within weeks, toppling the Western-backed government installed by the US, Britain and their allies.
Government leaders fled the country as Western coalition forces withdrew, culminating in the collapse of the Afghan military and the Taliban’s capture of Kabul on August 15, 2021.
Despite promising a more progressive regime than when they were last in power in 2001, the Taliban have eroded the rights of women and minorities in the country, most recently barring women from university – a move strongly condemned by the international community would.