Hope Drudge is patting himself on the back:
The MoD said in a statement today that the decision by foreign media outlets to report on Harry’s presence in Afghanistan was “regrettable” but it had contingency plans in place to deal with it.
“Whilst it had been intended that Prince Harry should return in a matter of weeks with the remainder of the Household Cavalry Regiment Battlegroup, the situation has now clearly changed,” the statement said.
“Following a detailed assessment of the risks by the operational chain of command, the decision has been taken by Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of Defence Staff, in consultation with General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, to withdraw Prince Harry from Afghanistan immediately.
“This decision has been taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier.”
Yeah, he was supposed to be coming back soon anyways but the whole thing stinks. Let the man serve his country dammit.
An Australian paper reported this news last month, but no one noticed. Drudge knew if he put it up people would notice and instead of doing the right thing and waiting….his personal ambition took over. One biased reporter in Britain thanks god for him.
Oh, and the Taliban, who have gotten their asses kicked from one side of the country to the other is puffing out their chest a bit:
Taleban insurgents threatened today to intensify attacks on British forces in southern Afghanistan after the news broke of Prince Harry’s secret deployment in the war zone.
Shortly after Army chiefs confirmed that the Prince would be flown out of Afghanistan for security reasons, a Taleban spokesman said that his presence in Helmand province mean that the Royal Family had joined in the “aggression against Muslims”.
It was the insurgent group’s first reaction to the news that Harry had been directly involved in a combat tour in the area.
“Prince Harry’s presence in Afghanistan encourages our fighters to launch more attacks on British forces,” Zabihullah Mujahid said. “The Royal Family is now directly participating in the aggression against Muslims.”
Mr Mujahid, who was talking on the phone from an undisclosed location, said that the British were already facing defeat in Afghanistan. He suggested that the news of his combat tour had been deliberately leaked to cheer the British people.
“We think Prince Harry has been sent to Afghanistan only to boost the sagging morale of the British forces which are in serious trouble,” he said. “For us he is just a part of occupation forces.”
Yeah….I’m sure they’re shaking in their boots.
The Prince believes he may be a target after the news that he was fighting in Afghanistan comes out, which is probable, and that he enjoyed the hell out of being in that country and being anonymous:
During his foreshortened tour Harry enjoyed a level of anonymity he has never experienced as a member of the Royal Family. In one pooled media interview he commented: “I think this is about as normal as I’m ever going to get.”
During a posting to Garmsir, the southernmost part of Helmand under allied control, the Prince was able to go on patrol and mix with locals who had no idea of his royal status.
His work as a Forward Air Controller – more commonly known as JTAC or Joint Terminal Attack Controller – involved carrying out detailed aerial surveillance behind Taliban lines and even calling in bomb strikes on confirmed enemy bunker positions.
Harry has said that he considered leaving the Army last spring after the cancellation of his Iraq tour. Just last week, he spoke of his frustration with the media spotlight in the UK and his preference for the frontline compared to being in barracks at Windsor.
“I don’t want to sit around in Windsor,” he said. “But I generally don’t like England that much and, you know, it’s nice to be away from all the press and the papers and all the general s***e that they write.”
He also expressed hopes of being able to return to Afghanistan as early as this summer – although that possibility is now likely to be in doubt.
Lastly, it appears the British media did the right thing and kept quiet about the tour, in return for unfettered access to the Prince after his return. Nothing comes for free but at least they didn’t hold personal ambition over personal pride in their country.
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