Prince Harry, son of the King of Britain, confirms that he killed 25 Afghans...and the "Taliban" comments

Prince Harry's assertion that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan has drawn criticism from allies and foes alike.

Harry said in his memoirs, "Spear" (Reserve), that he killed more than two dozen Taliban militants when he served as an Apache combat helicopter pilot in Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013.

He also wrote that in the heat of battle, he saw enemy combatants as chess pieces that he knocked off the board.

In response, senior Taliban leader Anas Haqqani wrote on Twitter, "Mr. Harry! Those you killed weren't chess pieces, they were human beings."

Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahhar Balkhi said Harry's remarks were "a small embodiment of the trauma Afghans are experiencing at the hands of forces that have killed innocent people without measure."

Some ex-warriors and military commanders in Britain have made it clear that publishing a specific tally would violate the army's unwritten law and could increase the security risk to the prince and to British forces around the world.

As for the one who commanded a British division during the Iraq war, Colonel Tim Collins, he told "Forsys News" that Harry's statements "do not reflect how we behave in the army, it is not the way we think."

Retired Royal Navy General Chris Barry described what Harry said as "abhorrent".

Former Royal Expeditionary Force member Ben McBain, who knew Harry during his military days, told Sky News: "I don't think it would be wise for him to say what he said publicly. He's already being targeted, more than anyone else."

Retired General Richard Kemp told the BBC that the statement was a "miscalculation" and would be "precious to those who wish to harm the forces and the British government".

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