Prince Harry Criticized for Pursuing Unnecessary Wealth, Says Ex-commander after Prince Reveals Afghanistan Kill Numbers in His New Book.
Prince Harry has been accused by a retired commanding officer of turning against his military family after he released his memoir describing killing 25 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Colonel Tim Collins criticized Harry for referring to the fighters as “chess pieces taken off the board”, saying that it was not how one should behave in the army. Prince Harry’s book, Spare, details his time as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan and was obtained by the BBC after being put on sale early in Spain.
In his memoir, Prince Harry wrote that killing the fighters was not a source of pride or shame, and he did not see them as people, but rather as “chess pieces taken off the board.” He added that his training had taught him to “other” them. These comments sparked a response from a senior Taliban leader, who tweeted that the people Prince Harry killed were not chess pieces but humans with families.
Ex-army officer Col Richard Kemp, who commanded forces in Afghanistan, stated that while it was unusual for soldiers to reveal their kill count, he did not have a problem with Prince Harry’s disclosure. However, Kemp believed that referring to the killed fighters as “chess pieces” could provide propaganda for the enemy and undermine Harry’s security. Meanwhile, retired commanding officer Colonel Collins criticized Harry’s book, calling it a “tragic money-making scam”.
Prince Harry briefly served as a forward air controller before flying Apache helicopters in his second longer tour. The US and its NATO allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to oust the Taliban. Harry’s comments received criticism from other military personnel, with one saying they were “very unsoldierly”. However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declined to comment on the prince’s claims, and the Ministry of Defense did not address the issue.