The Taliban have renewed their claims that Prince Harry committed “crimes against humanity” during his time in Afghanistan, a journalist has revealed.
Harry claimed in his 2023 memoir Spare that he had killed 25 Taliban fighters – something he described as “chess pieces taken off the board”.
Anas Haqqani, a senior member of the Afghan government, said at the time the book was released: “Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes.”
Journalist Benjamin Butterworth today revealed that the official spokesman of the Taliban has renewed these previous claims against the Duke of Sussex.
Speaking to Times Radio today, Mr Butterworth claimed the Taliban’s spokesman had told him yesterday that the prince had “committed crimes against humanity,” and that the people Harry had killed were “freedom fighters” and “heroes”.
According to Mr Butterworth, the spokesman also said that Harry “should be held accountable”.
“Last night, the Taliban said to me: ‘Human Rights activists need to rise up and take on Prince Harry, because he killed villagers in Afghanistan and needs to be held accountable’,” the journalist said.
Mr Butterworth clarified that the group, which captured Kabul in August 2021, re-taking control of Afghanistan for the first time since 2001, are not calling for violence, but added: “It does remind us that if people like the Taliban have an agenda against Prince Harry, then maybe we should be thinking about the protection a lot more seriously.”
The Taliban have renewed their claims that Prince Harry committed war crimes during his time in Afghanistan, a journalist has revealed
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The duke’s security concerns in the UK have been brought back to the fore after it was revealed that he was returning to the UK for “an extended period of time” with Meghan Markle and their two children last week.
The Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) declined Harry’s application for a security package last month.
It is unknown whether Ravec has decided to change their security status, and whether state-funded security will be reinstated for Harry and Meghan, which could cost the taxpayer millions of pounds per year.
When asked about the situation last week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “This is a private matter.
Journalist Benjamin Butterworth today revealed that the official spokesman of the Taliban has renewed previous claims that the Duke of Sussex committed crimes against humanity
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“It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the moves that they’re making.”
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told The Telegraph: “Prince Harry is the son of the King, and that means he has a very high public profile, more than most politicians who get security, and that’s just by reason of his birth.”
She added: “So what I would expect is that between the Palace and the security experts, they make the right assessment on the kind of security he needs.”
Harry did face security threats from the Taliban when his memoir was first released in 2023, and also scrutiny from fellow military veterans, who said the duke’s conduct is “not how you behave in the army”.
“He has badly let the side down. We don’t do notches on the rifle butt. We never did,” ex-colonel Tim Collins told Forces News at the time.
The claims refer to Harry’s second tour of Afghanistan in 2012, where he spent time as a gunner in an Apache attack helicopter.
He said that he was able to establish a kill count because he could watch footage from his gun after the missions.
“When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion of combat I didn’t think of those 25 as people,” he described in his book, Spare.
“They were chess pieces removed from the board. Bad people eliminated before they could kill good people.”
GB News has approached the Duke of Sussex for comment.