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9:22 pm - 01/22/2013

Prince Harry compares killing insurgents in Afghanistan to playing a video game


Taliban leaders have fired back at Prince Harry over the royal's comments that piloting a helicopter in Afghanistan—where he says he killed insurgents during his recent tour of duty—is like playing a video game.

Harry, who co-piloted an Apache helicopter during his 20-week tour, made the comparison in an interview broadcast by the BBC Monday night.

“It’s a joy for me because I’m one of those people who loves playing PlayStation and Xbox," the 28-year-old said. "So with my thumbs I like to think I’m probably quite useful."

The Taliban did not appreciate the comparison.

“This statement is not even worth condemning. It is worse than that,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman told London's Telegraph. “To describe the war in Afghanistan as a game demeans anyone—especially a prince, who is supposed to be made of better things.”

Mujahid continued: “It shows the lack of understanding, of knowledge. It shows they are unfamiliar with the situation and shows why they are losing. ... It’s not a game. It’s very, very real."

I comments published in the Daily Mirror on Monday, Harry confirmed that he killed Taliban insurgents during his deployment.

“Yeah, so lots of people have," Harry said. "The squadron’s been out here. Everyone’s fired a certain amount."

The prince, known as Captain Wales and nicknamed "Ugly," said he fired on the Taliban during an attack on Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan last fall. “Take a life to save a life," he said. "That’s what we revolve around, I suppose."

A few days before the insurgent attack on Camp Bastion, Mujahid ha told Reuters: "We are using all our strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping."

Sharifullah Kamawal, a member of the Afghan parliament, told the Telegraph that Harry's latest comments could disrupt relations between soldiers and locals there.

“This makes the withdrawal process much faster, because for now half of the people say the foreign forces must stay for longer," Kamawal said. "But if they say these kind of things, then more people will want them to go home."

Source

crookedrain 22nd-Jan-2013 09:13 pm (UTC)
most of the royal family fans here aren't even british
kalie_m 22nd-Jan-2013 09:15 pm (UTC)
That's why they like them. It's not their money the royal families are taking.
infinite93 22nd-Jan-2013 09:57 pm (UTC)
exactly!
honeyoil 23rd-Jan-2013 04:00 am (UTC)
actually they invest far more money into our country than the one pound per person or whatever it is they take but thanks for playin'
lanavis 22nd-Jan-2013 10:26 pm (UTC)
I have actually really started to hate all royalty on principle, but since I'm American I get shut down since they don't affect me.
run_atreyu 23rd-Jan-2013 04:48 am (UTC)
Co-signed. I was going to say this. Most Brits are nhf the royals. And, by extension, some members of the commonwealth. The US have no royals and they tend to be the most vehemently pro-royalty because it seems more like celeb culture than royalty.
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