Prince Harry in Afghanistan.

I teach three young Afghan students. They are 15, 16 and 18 years old and came to this country last November to join their father who's lived here for ten years; their mother died in a car crash two years ago.
Yesterday the eldest boy shared with me his understanding of events in Afghanistan and gave harrowing accounts of bombs dropping, fear of IED's, people being killed on either side of him and the complete disruption of everyday 'normal' life. He had no answers to the troubles and expressed the same confusion about the presence of the military in Afghanistan as some of the posters on here. They don't want the country to be occupied, but they fear a return of lawlessness and that the gains of recent years will be lost when the military pull out.
Tonight I think about the families of those soldiers killed recently and my heart goes out to them; I know exactly the sequence of events they're going through and that they will be trying to make sense of the senselessness of war. But I also grieve for the families of Afghans who are killed daily too; 11,864 civilians have been killed in the conflict since 2007.

artygran

Obviously I agree with all you said.

Well said artygran.

Prince Harry will and must be allowed to do his duty. He flies one of the most sophisticated combat machines in the world and is safer within that than most of the men on the ground will ever be. Our chaps would still be targetted, shot by their own side, suffer horrendous injuries from stepping on IEDs and the rest of the horrors whether Prince Harry is there or not. The Camp Bastion incident will have taught the military a salutary lesson, and you can bet that mistakes will not allowed to be made again. I doubt if you will find many of our chaps complaining that his presence among them increases the risk to them. They would probably be dismayed to see him go home. Having said that, I agree that it's about time ALL our soldiers came home - this so-called war is unwinnable. We couldn't gain any ground in Afghanistan in the 1800s and were chased out in the most bloody and ignominious manner, and we will not win it now. But to say that does an injustice to all the men who have died and been horribly injured while serving there.

Sorry! My post should have been to absent.

I agree that none of them should be there but I did say in an earlier post that Prince Harry's presence is putting others at risk.

True Greatnan.

I just think it might take away from the families the feeling that their sons/husbands died for a purpose. But I guess that isn't enough to justify more lives being lost.

JO4 Wasting more lives isn't going to help grieving families or bring back the dead.

greatnan it seems to be going that way already as some of the schools have been closed and women teachers stopped from giving their lessons that they had fought so hard for.I am on the fence regarding Prince Harry serving in Afgan as I can see both sides very clearly,he is highly trained in his profession but is taken under close guard when there is an attack such as this one putting other live's at risk,but I agree with who ever said why did they not attack British side of Camp Bastion if they where targeting Harry.
Just heard two more soldiers killed by Afgan policeman,my heart goes out to their families

I agree - the Russians could not defeat the Taliban and neither can the British or Americans. How sad for the Afghan women who will lose all the gains they have made.

Sometimes I think (especially this morning) bring them all home.

But would that be totally wasting the lives of all those already killed?

It's too hard a one for me.

POGS is right. None of them should be there, royal or otherwise. Eleven years of achieving nothing good in a place they had no right to be to begin with.

The only reason for thinking he should not be there is the added risk to the other soldiers.

Merlot, why shouldn't Harry be there? He's doing his job. OK if you don't think any of our troops should be there, but if it's Ok for the others to be there but not
him, why not him? Just because he's third in line to the throne? Why is that important? There are two ahead of him and plenty after him. We are not short of people to succeed to the throne!

I don't want Harry to be killed, but I don't want any of the people out there to be killed. He's no different ESSENTIALLY from the rest – somebody's grandson, somebody's son, somebody's brother.....

merlotgran

No family should have a son or daughter there, Royal or not!.

His unit cannot be spared a tour of duty because of his royal connections, that would be unfair on every other serviceman or woman who will have to take his units place. It's time we left Afghanistan and all of our children/husbands and wives were home.

Traditionally, Kings and Queens have been leaders of the armed forces so it has been a favoured occupation for their male offspring. The Queen's uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent, served in the RAF and was killed during WW2. Prince Andrew was the first son of a monarch to have his life put at risk in modern warfare. It's understandable that Prince Harry wants to serve alongside his fellow officers but the whole world is party to what is going on in Afghanistan. He doesn't need to be there and he shouldn't be there.

Sorry Camp Bastion not Camp Sebastian.

Just what I was thinking Bags. Alfred the Great for example.

Harry can't help being a royal, but the fact that he is third in line for the throne is, as pogs so wisely says, irrelevant. He's in the army and has to do his job same as all the other army officers and squaddies. Besides, princes are supposed to lead armies into battle, aren't they? Historically, it's one of the prime duties of princes.

He is doing his tour of duty as he is a soldier and is with his unit. He could not look his comrades in the eye if he was not with them. If he was at home whilst they were in Afghanistan he would have the other problem of being called a coward or not a serving soldier, which is at the heart of the issue. Harry loves the army and his job and has a huge respect, earnt the right way, from his unit. He can't win either way and his absence would have been noticed in a shot by the media and possibly talked about for a longer period of time and the truth outed anyway.

Do you not think the Taliban don't know which unit he serves with and where they are?.

The Head of Camp Sebastian declared the Taliban had initially said their attack was because of the film, then changed it to Officer Wales. I would rather take his word than the Taliban. Had they been going for Harry they would have targetted the British side of the camp, surely?

Who would want to be a Royal.

It's the effect on the other soldiers around him. They are in additional danger because of him. Surely there is something Harry can do away from the centre of things. It's just crazy having him there even if he does want to be one of the boys. The hard fact is that he is a target and he should accept that.

What on earth are they thinking - sending him out there in the first place! He is 3rd in line to the throne and the Taliban have already warned that they are out to get him. It is utterly ridiculous and makes all those other precious young men with him vulnerable too. I sometimes despair for the establishment nowadays - he's like a lamb to the slaughter. And if they do kill him, imagine the publicity these horrendous monsters will get down through the years! Poor Harry - he's still that little lost lad behind his mother's funeral procession, to me. Whenever will he have some peace in his life?

But Harry can't win. If he is brought home people will say he is going for the soft option, enjoying the privilege of his royal status, if he stays he may be putting others at risk. I do feel sorry for him.

They need to bring him home as his presence there is putting others at risk. I can't understand why we were told he was going in the first place. We don't know the names of all the other serving officers. Why put their wives and families through added stress and anxiety.

I feel so sorry for that poor lad. It seems he can't do right for doing wrong. And he had the worst sadness imaginable so early in his life.