THE army plans to declare Prince Harry’s return to Afghanistan to avoid a repeat of a media leak that led to him being pulled out of the front line four years ago.
During Harry’s first tour, the military agreed a news blackout with the British media. But an article in the foreign press forced the prince’s removal from the battlefield 10 weeks into his tour of duty.
Now, in a shift in strategy, the prince’s arrival in Afghanistan will be publicised at the time, in a similar way to his brother’s posting to the Falklands last month. Prince William’s arrival in the south Atlantic in the 30th anniversary year of the war sparked anger in Argentina.
The situation in Afghanistan poses far greater dangers. News of the deployment of the third in line to the throne means a heightened security operation will be needed to protect Harry and other troops from Taliban attacks, which could be stepped up to target him.
Six British soldiers were killed this month by a Taliban bomb, taking the number of British military personnel killed in Afghanistan to 404 since 2001.
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The country is reeling from the massacre of 16 civilians, including children, by an American soldier. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales has been arrested over the killings. Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has urged Washington to pull its troops back to its main bases.
Harry has said publicly he is keen to return to the front line. In an interview with an American broadcaster last week the prince said it was “ridiculous” to think his royal status would stop him going.
A senior army source said: “The military’s view is that either Harry goes or he leaves the army. It’s as simple as that. He can’t not go and stay in the army. We have spent millions training him.”
While the date of Harry’s deployment is likely to be kept secret in advance, the army will announce his arrival once he is there.
The move would follow a precedent set by the Duke of York’s service as a naval helicopter pilot in the Falklands war of 1982, when the Queen said publicly that her second son should be deployed alongside other servicemen.
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During his first tour, Harry’s duties included calling in air support for ground troops and going out on foot patrol.
Ten weeks into his tour news of his presence leaked. It is thought it was first reported in an Australian publication but it was only when it appeared on The Drudge Report, an American website, that the order was given for Harry to return to Britain.
Gordon Brown, then the prime minister, said the country owed the prince a “debt of gratitude”, saying the decision to bring him home was part of a contingency plan rather than a reaction to claims that his presence put other troops in danger. David Cameron, then leader of the opposition, agreed that removing him was “right”.
This time, the Ministry of Defence has concluded that the increasing popularity of social media websites such as Twitter would make a blackout unfeasible and it would be nearly impossible to contain a leak which, once published online, would go round the world in seconds.
Harry, assigned to 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment, Army Air Corps, will be returning to the front line as Captain Wales, a qualified Apache helicopter pilot. The AH, as it is known, is armed with a 30mm cannon, rockets and Hellfire laser-guided missiles. Harry was voted best front-seat pilot by his peers after completing a 16-month training course.
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News of his deployment, likely to be for about four months, could spur the Taliban to get surface-to-air missiles. Leaked US war logs showed hundreds of attempts to shoot down allied helicopters. In 2007, they brought down a Chinook helicopter, killing seven soldiers.
In last week’s interview with CBS News, the American network, Harry said: “I’ve been there once. I’ve served my country. I enjoyed it because I was with my friends. And, you know, everyone has a part to play.
“All these people talking these stories of, ‘Oh, he’s been trained as Apache pilot, he’s never going to see active service, he’s never going to get to the front line’. These people live in a ridiculous world to even think that. You can’t train people and then not put them into the role they need to play.”
The Ministry of Defence will make the final decision on when Harry’s tour is announced.
A palace source said: “One of the options under consideration is to announce Harry’s arrival in theatre but no decision has yet been reached.”