There are now fears that the Taliban could target the Invictus Games as Afghans demand Prince Harry go on trial after he admitted to killing 25 Taliban insurgents during his second tour of Afghanistan. Mullah Abdullah, whose father was killed in an airstrike at a market in the village of Yakhchal, called on the international community to prosecute the Duke of Sussex.
Mr Abdullah, who said he lost nine relatives in the attack in Afghanistan’s Nahr-E-Saraj district, said: “We ask the international community to put this person [Prince Harry] on trial, and we should get compensation for our losses.”
Speaking at his father’s grave, he added: “We lost our house, our life and family members. We lost our livelihood and also lost our loved ones.”
In his memoir, Harry wrote that flying six missions during his second tour of duty on the front line in 2012 to 2013 resulted in “the taking of human lives” of which he was neither proud nor ashamed.
Harry said he did not think of those he had killed as “people”, but instead as “chess pieces” which had been taken off the board.
Admiral Lord West, a former head of the Royal Navy, called Harry “very stupid” for giving details of his Taliban kills.
He told the Sunday Mirror: “The Taliban will be reading (Harry’s claims about killing fighters and) thinking there’s this prince calling us all chess pieces and is quite happy about killing us.
“And there will be a lot of people, I am sure, in Islamic State and other terrorist organisations, who will think this is something which should be avenged.”
Harry’s revelation has also sparked protest in Afghanistan with about 20 students staging a protest at a university in Helmand province where the Duke was stationed.
One protester said: “We condemn [Harry’s] action which is against all norms of humanity.”
Some carried posters showing a portrait of Harry with a red cross on it.
Sayed Ahmad Sayed, a teacher at the university, condemned Harry for his role in UK military operations in Afghanistan.
He said: “The cruelties which have been committed by Prince Harry, his friends or by anyone else in Helmand or anywhere in Afghanistan is unacceptable, cruel. These acts will be remembered by history.”
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood suggested that Harry’s admission could create security risks at the Invictus Games.
Mr Ellwood, who chairs the Commons Defence Committee, described the revelation in Harry’s memoir as ill-advised.
He told Sky News he worried it would have security implications.”
On the Invictus Games, he said: “I’m now concerned something which has been so important to veterans to help rehabilitation will now suffer because there could be security implications of him participating in that.”
Spare is available to buy from all bookshops and audiobook providers from January 10.
