Taliban leader condemns Prince Harry's Afghanistan killings descriptions

A senior Taliban leader has joined those criticising the Duke of Sussex over disclosures that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.

Anas Haqqani, a Taliban leader in Afghanistan, has condemned Prince Harry for describing those he killed as "chess pieces", but added that not many who killed Afghans "have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes".

The Telegraph, which obtained a Spanish language copy of the Spare memoir from a bookshop in Spain, reports that Harry said he did not think of those he killed as people, but instead as "chess pieces" that had been taken off the board.

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"So, my number is 25. It's not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me," he reportedly wrote.

Mr Haqqani tweeted: "Mr Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return.

"Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes.

"The truth is what you've said. Our innocent people were chess pieces to your soldiers, military and political leaders. Still, you were defeated in that "game" of white and black "square".

"I don't expect that the (International Criminal Court) will summon you or the human rights activists will condemn you, because they are deaf and blind for you.

"But, hopefully, these atrocities will be remembered in the history of humanity," he added.

A retired British Army colonel, famous for his inspirational speech on the eve of battle in Iraq, says the Duke of Sussex has "now turned against the other family, the military".

Colonel Tim Collins, responding to Prince Harry's claims, told Forces News: "This is not how we behave in the Army; it's not how we think."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said they do not comment on operational details for "security reasons".

Harry was criticised in early 2013 at the end of his tour when he disclosed that he had killed.

The then 28-year-old told the media that he took the enemy "out of the game" and soldiers "take a life to save a life".