23 February 2023 , 09:48
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Prince Harry has been slammed by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for "boasting" about his alleged kill-count while serving in Afghanistan.
The Tory MP said the Duke of Sussex had "let down" his former comrades by revealing that he shot dead 25 Taliban fighters in his bombshell memoir Spare, released last month.
Harry has been roundly criticised for what he wrote, including referring to enemy troops as "chess pieces" to be taken off a board.
"So, my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me," he wrote.
The royal was serving on the Helman frontlines as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner at the time.
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Prince Harry served two tours in Afghanistan during his 10 years in the Army (PA)Taliban warlord Anas Haqqani has even accused him of war crimes.
He tweeted: "Mr Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return.
"Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes."
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (PA)Mr Wallace was asked about it by LBC's Nick Ferrari today, and said: "I frankly think boasting about tallies... Distorts the fact that the army is a team game. It's a team enterprise. It's not about who can shoot the most."
The minister, who is in charge of Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, said Harry has "let down" his ex-colleagues in the Armed Forces.
He said: "If you start talking about who did what [you're] letting down all those other people, because you're not a better person because you did and they didn't."
Harry said last month he added the kill count in an effort to reduce suicides in veteran communities, during an appearance on US television.
His admissions - in defiance of the long-running code of not discussing their ‘kill count’ - have particularly upset members of the Armed Forces family with mental health issues.