Just days after he arrived for his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, the Taliban is threatening to capture or kill Prince Harry, a spokesperson for the militant group said.
鈥淲e are using all our strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping,鈥� Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters Monday in a telephone interview that quickly gained international attention.
鈥淲e have informed our commanders in Helmand to do whatever they can to eliminate him,鈥� he added.
In the interview, Mujahid referred to the plot as the 鈥淗arry operations.鈥�
Britain鈥檚 Defence Ministry declined to comment on the threat. However, at the time of his deployment, the department said it felt comfortable making details of his latest tour public after a threat assessment found it would not put the prince or his fellow soldiers at risk.
The third in line to the throne arrived in Afghanistan on Friday for a four-month tour. He will be based at Camp Bastion in the restive Helmand province.
Capt. Wales, as he is known in the army, will co-pilot Apache helicopters in a unit that is known for a high 鈥渒ill rate鈥� of insurgents. He will also operate the Apache鈥檚 weaponry, which includes wing-mounted aerial rockets, laser-guided missiles and a 30 mm machine gun.
Harry鈥檚 first deployment to Afghanistan, in 2008, came to an end after 10 weeks when word of his trip got out despite a news blackout. For that tour, he was to act as an on-ground air controller.
The threat against the 27-year-old comes just weeks after the prince was caught literally with his pants down during a trip to Las Vegas with friends.
Photos circulated online that showed a fully naked Harry apparently badly losing a game of strip billiards. One photo included a mystery woman, who was also nude.
Celebrity gossip website TMZ.com reported that the prince and some friends met a group of girls at his hotel鈥檚 bar and invited them up to his suite.
During the trip, Harry was also photographed partying with U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte.
BuckinghamPalacedeclined to comment on the photos, and has so far offered no comment on the threat.
