Prince Harry denies he ‘boasted’ about killing 25 Taliban fighters in explosive memoir Spare

Prince Harry has furiously criticized allegations that he “bragged” about killing 25 Taliban fighters in his explosive memoir Spare, while accusing critics of “misrepresenting” his words and spouting “lies” about the revelation, which he says he has put his family in danger. endangered’.

The 38-year-old vehemently defended his decision to share the information as he sat down for an interview with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, a prerecorded conversation that was recorded Monday night and will air in its entirety tonight. . .

In a teaser clip for what will no doubt be another revealing TV bombshell, Harry hit back at accusations that he ‘undermines his own security’ by writing about his Taliban killings, while blaming his critics for spreading ‘dangerous lies’ and ‘misrepresenting his words’.

“I think one of the most dangerous lies that’s been told is that I somehow bragged about the number of people I killed in Afghanistan,” he told Colbert.

‘I would say if I hear someone else, anyone, bragging about that kind of thing, I would get mad. But it’s a lie.

He added: “My words are not dangerous, but the twist of my words is very dangerous for my family.”

The Duke of Sussex faced serious criticism from high-ranking politicians and former military officers after excerpts from his book, which were released after the book was accidentally published in early Spain, were leaked, revealing his memories of kill Taliban members while serving as an Apache helicopter. pilot.

After the excerpts were published last week, former British Army Commander Colonel Richard Kemp described Harry’s comments as “misjudged” and warned that his admissions could cause pro-Taliban sympathizers to be “provoked into trying to take revenge” against him and possibly “incite some people”. attempt an attack on British soldiers anywhere in the world.”

Meanwhile, former Royal Marine commando Ben McBean suggested the duke had broken an “unwritten rule” with his disclosure.

However, Harry insisted to Colbert that it was not his words that were dangerous in any way, but the “twist” his critics had put on them, and the Duke said it was “a choice they had made” that had put his family in danger.

He went on to insist that the “reason” he chose to write about his death count was to “reduce the number of suicides” among military veterans.

“I made the decision to share it because, having spent almost two decades working with veterans from around the world, I believe that the most important thing is to be honest and give space to others to share their experiences without any shame,” he said. -while he received applause from the audience, which included several veterans.

“And my whole goal, my attempt to share that detail is to reduce the number of suicides.”

The Duke has continued to speak about his time in the military, and his decision to write so publicly about his experiences, during a series of interviews in which he has been publishing his memoirs, which were officially released today.

This morning, just over 12 hours before your chat with Colbert is set to air, People The magazine published an interview with Harry in which he justified his decision to share his kill count, saying it was part of his own personal “healing.”

He added to the post that he thinks it’s important for veterans and active duty service members to “talk about the parts of our service that haunt us: the lives lost, the lives taken.”

However, Colonel Kemp, who commanded Operation Fingal in Afghanistan in 2003, told MailOnline he did not believe revealing the number would help any ‘healing journey’ and that it gave the Taliban more fuel for propaganda.

“I really don’t see how making that kind of public statement will help whatever healing process he thinks he needs.”

‘I don’t think saying he has killed 25 people is a terrible thing. I’m sure it’s a fact and everyone knows that he was there as a crew member of an attack helicopter and therefore his job would have been to kill the enemy.

“The biggest problem I have with what he said is the way he said he was trained to describe the Taliban and to think of the Taliban as less than human.”

The father of two, who flew an Apache attack helicopter during his second tour, said “it’s not a fact that fills me with satisfaction but I’m not ashamed either.”

Harry participated in two tours in Afghanistan, the first from 2007 to 2008 and the second from 2012 to 2013.

At Spare, the Prince said he flew six missions that resulted in “the taking of human life.”

While many soldiers don’t know how many enemies they’ve killed in combat, the Duke wrote that “in the age of Apaches and laptops” he was able to say “exactly” how many insurgents he killed.

As well as facing backlash from the military, Harry has also been accused of revealing his Taliban death count as a means of gaining additional security at the expense of British taxpayers.

The Duke of Sussex is currently locked in an ongoing legal battle with the Home Office over his UK security team, and critics have suggested that Harry may have thought it would be to his case to detail his exploits during two tours in Afghanistan.

Dr. Alan Mendoza, from the Henry Jackson Society think tank, said Sun the comments seem ‘calculated’.

Prince Harry’s claims about the number of Taliban he may have killed, whether true or not, seem calculated to achieve only one goal: to gain additional security for himself at the expense of UK taxpayers.

“All it has managed to do is allow a despicable regime to have a gratuitous PR coup in response to its poorly framed comments.”