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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Charlie Jones

Prince Harry needs more security after saying he killed 25 Taliban, CIA official claims

After Prince Harry's boast about the number of Taliban fighters he's killed he may be entitled to extra security from authorities in the US, an ex-CIA official has said.

In his newly published memoir - Spare - the Prince said that he killed 25 Taliban fights while serving in the the Army.

Security for Harry and his family have been a matter of controversy since they decided to quit as working royals and leave the UK.

Now counter-terrorism officer Bruce Riedel has told The Sun Harry may be able to request official protection in the US.

He said: “Harry can make a case for security protection as a distinguished foreign guest. Some ambassadors are given special protection. It would help if the British government weighed in.

Duke of Sussex during an interview with ITV's Tom Bradby in California, US (PA)

“He has taken a risk in his statement about killing 25 Taliban but it is not a big risk. The Taliban do not have an international reach and especially not in the United States.

“In twenty years of war with America they never operated in the US. An angry Afghan American acting on his own might be a threat but most of the Afghan American community is against the Taliban.”

Prince Harry served for ten years, rising to the rank of Captain and undertaking two tours of Afghanistan.

Spare is Prince Harry's memoir written with the help of a ghost writer (Robin Utrecht/REX/Shutterstock)

His revelations sparked fresh concerns he could be targeted for his role in the long running war in the coun

Senior military figures and security experts blasted Harry, who quit the royal family in 2020, amid fears his comments could lead to UK forces being targeted - with a former Navy chief branding him "very stupid".

It sparked protests in the Helmand province, with demonstrators carrying posters showing Harry's portrait with a red 'x' across it.

Prince Harry holds an SLR rifle on patrol through the deserted town of Garmisir, Afghanistan (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

But the Duke told People magazine he revealed the number "for my own healing journey" and "in the hopes it will help others".

The Taliban branded Harry a "big mouth loser" after announcing how many kills he'd made.

Harry said he gunned down members of the fundamentalist group as if they were "chess pieces" taken off the board.

Spare on display at the Barnes & Noble bookstore (Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Speaking to People he said: "This is something each soldier has to confront, and in the nearly two decades of working alongside service personnel and veterans, I've listened to their stories and have shared mine.

"In these conversations, we often talk about the parts of our service that haunt us — the lives lost, the lives taken.

"But also the parts of our service that heal us and the lives we've saved."

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