Veteran says Harry shot himself in the foot by revealing army death toll

A retired Brit army Colonel says the Duke of Sussex shot himself in the foot as he revealed he had killed 25 people in Afghanistan.

Harry wrote that flying six missions during his second frontline tour of duty in 2012-13 resulted in “lives being taken,” of which he was neither proud nor ashamed.

The disclosure has reportedly raised “security concerns” among the Army’s top officials.

Retired military officer Colonel Richard Kemp told the Sun: “It undermines his personal security. He shot himself in the knee.

“By fighting in Afghanistan, Harry gained a very good reputation both in the army and in the country.

“These comments will damage that reputation and he will no longer be viewed in the same light by people who previously held him in high esteem, including myself.”

Mr Kemp’s comments come after Taliban leader in Afghanistan Anas Haqqani spoke out after the spare extracts were leaked.

The Telegraph, which obtained a Spanish-language copy of the memoir from a bookshop in Spain, reports that Harry said he didn’t see those he killed as people, but as “pawns” that had been taken off the board.

“Well, my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but it doesn’t embarrass me either,” he wrote.

Colonel Tim Collins, known for speaking before the fight in Iraq, said the Duke has now turned on his “other family, the military”.

He criticized the inclusion of the disclosure in Spare, calling it “a tragic money-making scam”.

He told Forces News on Friday: “Among his allegations is that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.

“That’s not how you behave in the army; we don’t think so.

“Harry has now turned against the other family, the military who once embraced him after destroying his birth family.”

Meanwhile, Lord Darroch told Sky News that he shares “a little” the security concerns military experts have expressed following Harry’s comments.

“You have to respect all those who fought in Afghanistan,” he said.

“When I was National Security Advisor, I went there a few times. It’s a really tough environment, it was a really dangerous war, we lost more than 500 British soldiers.

“I respect and appreciate everyone who fought there.

“Had I personally advised the prince, I would have advised against the sort of details he goes into there.

“But it’s out there now and I think it was a just war and so I can understand and appreciate what he wrote about how he justified himself to what he was doing.”

A Defense Department spokesman said they would not comment on operational details for “security reasons.”

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