Harry returns to Afghanistan

It's been announced that Prince Harry has returned to Afghanistan where he will serve as a co-pilot gunner in Helmand. He arrived on Thursday for a tour expected to last four months.


He'll be stationed at Britain's largest Afghan base - Camp Bastion, where he'll take part in British combat missions against the Taliban.


Harry qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot in February this year after 18 months of training. He'll will be flying the attack helicopters as a co-pilot gunner.

Of the 67 flown by the British Army, no Apache helicopters have been shot down in Aghanistan. The Ministry of Defence regard the risk to Apache crew members as 'low'.

Commander of the Joint Aviation Group, Captain Jock Gordon will be Prince Harry's commanding Officer at Camp Bastion. He said: 'He will be in a difficult and demanding job. And I ask that he be left to get on with his duties and allowed to focus on delivering support to the coalition troops on the ground.'


Harry first served in Afghanistan in 2008. That tour of duty was kept a secret and lasted 77 days before he was pulled out, following publication of the story by the German and Australian media



The prince, known as Captain Wales in the military was publicly disappointed to have been removed from combat in 2008. In April he complained of how pointless his training was if he wasn't allowed to fly. 'I'd just be taking up a spare place for somebody else if they didn't have me going out on the job.'