A new report reveals how Prince Harry escaped an assassination attempt by Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan last year.
The Prince was frantically whisked to safety during a raid on Camp Bastion — where the fourth-in-line was based during his three-month tour of duty — which claimed the lives of two United States Marine soldiers and destroyed or damaged up to eight aircraft.
The raid, which took place in September 2012, was also an assassination attempt on the Prince’s life.
A detailed description of the attack, published in the September issue of GQ, describes the complex assault that unfolded “under a moon-less night as the Taliban suicide squad approached the heavily guarded perimeter fence of the British military base”.
Camp Bastion had become a virtual city in the six years since its establishment. Home to 28,000 US and British service personnel, it was constantly under threat of attacks.
The arrival of Apache helicopter pilot Prince Harry prompted a new Taliban threat to kill or kidnap him.
“We have informed commanders in Helmand to do whatever they can to eliminate him,” a Taliban spokesman told the press.
The military had laughed off the threat saying it was “not a matter of concern”.
Four days after the threat was issued, the ‘battle of Bastion’ had begun with heavily armed soldiers entering the base at around 10pm and unleashing fire at the parked fighter jets, firing grenades, and launching a high scale attack on the secure camp.
British soldiers joined the attack, which evolved into a full blown ground assault, only after Prince Harry had been “stashed in a secure location”, the article says.
The Taliban claimed the attack was in response to the controversial film, ‘Innocence of Muslims’, and that Prince Harry was the target of the attack, but British officials say Prince Harry was never in any danger during the attack.
The total cost to the United States military, including evacuating Prince Harry, was $200 million, according to GQ.
Prince Harry vowed to see out his deployment in Afghanistan following the attack. He returned safely and continues to serve in the military.
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