The Telegraph reports: Taliban commanders have branded Prince Harry a naïve “coward” for his comments comparing the decade-long conflict in Afghanistan with computer games.
Two senior figures told The Daily Telegraph that the unguarded description was an insult to the men who had fought and died alongside Captain Wales.
They were angered by the way Prince Harry described his role as co-pilot of an Apache helicopter, in charge of its weapons systems, firing Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, rockets and a 30-millimetre gun.
“It’s a joy for me because I’m one of those people who loves playing PlayStation and Xbox, so with my thumbs I like to think I’m probably quite useful,” he said in an interview timed to coincide with his departure after a 20-week tour.
The unguarded comments could prove a headache for President Hamid Karzai, who has staked his reputation on working closely with Nato-led forces and wants the US to station troops in Afghanistan beyond the end of 2014.
It also hands insurgents a propaganda opportunity as they continue to try to turn the local population against foreign fighters in a war that is becoming as much about PR salvoes as it is about rockets and bullets.
Prince Harry, dolt though he is, has exposed the truth. To the tech west, war is a video game.
Given the headlines he’s drawn, it’s easy to see why Prince Harry might be viewed as a dolt and as someone who doesn’t pay much attention to royal news I admit I don’t know much about him. Even so, in his interview with the Telegraph, he struck me as a good deal sharper than most of his older relatives.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-harry/9822082/Prince-Harry-Im-longing-to-see-Prince-William-and-Catherine.html
Moreover, although it’s reasonable to argue that his presence in Afghanistan has made life more dangerous for those around him, there is something commendable about the British royal tradition that at a time of war, members of the royal family are expected to serve in the military. If the same example was followed by prime ministers and presidents who could thereafter expect to see their own families at risk, I dare say that governments would exercise much more caution about starting or entering wars.