Prince Harry confirmed that he killed Taliban fighters during his stint as a helicopter gunner in Afghanistan. PHOTO: AFP
KABUL: Britain's Prince Harry, who compared shooting insurgents in Afghanistan to playing video games, "has probably developed a mental problem", the Taliban said Tuesday.
"There are 49 countries with their powerful military failing in the fight against the mujahideen, and now this prince comes and compares this war with his games, PlayStation or whatever he calls it," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP.
Harry, third in line to the throne, said he had killed Taliban insurgents during a 20-week posting flying scores of missions over the restive southern province of Helmand in an Apache attack helicopter.
As co-pilot, Harry was in charge of the weapons systems in a two-man cockpit, firing Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, rockets and a 30-millimetre gun.
"It's a joy for me because I'm one of those people who loves playing PlayStation and Xbox, so with my thumbs I like to think I'm probably quite useful," he said in interviews released Monday after the end of his posting.
"This is a serious war, a historic war, resistance for us, for our people," Mujahid told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.
"But we don't take his comments very seriously, as we have all seen and heard that many foreign soldiers, occupiers who come to Afghanistan, develop some kind of mental problems on their way out."
Asked by Britain's Press Association if he had killed from the cockpit, Harry said: "Yeah, so lots of people have.
"Take a life to save a life," he shrugged. "If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game."
The Taliban have been waging an insurgency in Afghanistan for 11 years since being ousted from power for harbouring al Qaeda chief Osama bin laden after the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
During the war, they have faced more than 140,000 troops from over 50 countries but remain a serious threat to the Western-backed government with Nato troops due to withdraw in 2014.
COMMENTS (16)
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What difference would it make to a man whose head is about to be blown off, or his spine shattered to pieces, to see his nemesis bow before him in mock respect before committing the act? Frankly, if you issue an invitation to the world to come kill you, the least you could do is not to grudge it some fun while responding to your invitation! After all, you did invite the world, didn't you?
@hate speech
if the foreign troops in Afghanistan are really courageous and fighting for a good cause then why didn’t they told the media that the price was deployed in Afghanistan to boost their image in the war…
My dear uninformed friend, the whole world and his uncle knew that the Prince was deployed in Afghanistan. You should come to Express Tribune more often. Read the article below dated September 15 2012
"Two killed at US base where Prince Harry deployed" http://tribune.com.pk/story/437188/two-killed-at-us-base-where-prince-harry-deployed/
God bless U.K USA & Prince Harry
according to the statistics issued by media, in Pakistan and Afghanistan by the troops it seems that on daily basis they wipe out 20 to 30 militants....while the case on ground is very strange....if the foreign troops in Afghanistan are really courageous and fighting for a good cause then why didn't they told the media that the price was deployed in Afghanistan to boost their image in the war....but they knew it better that Afghanistan belongs to Taliban and will fall in the hands of Taliban....foreign troops just rule the air of Afghanistan...not the ground......!!!!!!!!!.
according to the statistics issued by media, in Pakistan and Afghanistan by the troops it seems that on daily basis they wipe out 20 to 30 militants....while the case on ground is very strange....if the foreign troops in Afghanistan are really courageous and fighting for a good cause then why didn't they told the media that the price was deployed in Afghanistan to boost their image in the war....but they knew it better that Afghanistan belongs to Taliban and will fall in the hands of Taliban....foreign troops just rule the air of Afghanistan...not the ground.......
So unfortunate there is not much difference in the mind set of Talibans (who belong to supposedly less civilised society as the world terms it) and the 3rd in line to the UK throne (who supposedly belongs to a more civilized society). And we expect things would improve and pple will stop fighting.
Prince Harry you are right because there are three things always free and can be gotten without any hard work and struggle,for instance 1-Stargazing and daydreaming, 2-Living in the dreams and 3-Claiming huge targets and achievements only verbally not practically.....
How can he compare his job up play station !!! Sick!!
Well the 'Prince' did speak some nonsense . He spoke about the kilings in a very casual manner. He should be more responsible .
Look who is talking, Taliban are themselves sane, progressive, anti violent and educated people. Where as price harry is mad.
shockingly shameful interview by a prince of the 'beacons of civilized society'. Comparing killing live humans to computer games is horrific and shows the mentality of the NATO soldiers. I bet he and his comrades consider any man or child wearing a turban and a shalwar kameez to be an insurgent. where are all the so called western stooge liberals today? will they condemn this interview of harry?
OMG!! this was too funny!!
Britain’s Prince Harry has ‘mental problem’: Taliban! LOL.......
a prince of the 'beacons of civilized society' comparing killing live human beings to killing opponents in a video game. If he is so careless in his firing, I bet he would call every turban and shalwar kameez wearing man or child as an 'insurgent' and start his video game on them. Shockingly shameful!! where are all the liberal fascists??? will they condemn this or not?
Look who is talking. Taliban are very sane, progressive, anti-voilence and educated people where as prince Harry is mad.