Prince Harry's Tour of Duty in Afghanistan: December 2007-February 2008

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by sirhon11234

The media has put Harry and his fellow soldier's life in danger for reporting this.

Not just Harry, they have put every allied soldier in danger, no matter what country they are from - I now know what it means to be 'incandescent with rage'.

[pinkie40]

I believe Harry and his chums to be as safe as they can be as they are probably embedded deeply into the action and have layers upon layers of protection.

Harry and his unit have extra special protection, probably, a regiment of Her Majesty's own personal protection should she herself wanted to visit the war zone as other leaders and dignitaries often do from time to time.

[crm2317]

Firstly- Shame on the website who reported this. Now he and his colleagues are in even more danger!

Secondly- I wish him the best and the most safety for his whole team

[Empress]

None the less, I think that we can all agree that it is very disgraceful for whichever news media outlet let this one fly to have done so.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Isana

Harry has most certainly be moved to a completely different area right now, if not send home altogether.

Do you really think the Taliban haven't thought of that and that they will sit back and wait for another 'exclusive'? Obviously they will attack every unit with added zeal, in the hopes that one of them will be where Harry is!

Originally Posted by pinkie40

I believe Harry and his chums to be as safe as they can be as they are probably embedded deeply into the action and have layers upon layers of protection.

Harry and his unit have extra special protection, probably, a regiment of Her Majesty's own personal protection should she herself wanted to visit the war zone as other leaders and dignitaries often do from time to time.

Harry is serving as an ordinary officer in a war zone, no layers and layers of protection.

[Al_bina]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

What a disgrace this 'newspaper' is, to break the news. Shameful, they should be prosecuted!!!!!!!!
[shortened]

For what exactly should the newspaper in question be prosecuted? Allow to remind you that the UK and other well-developed stable European monarchies/ democracies pride themselves on having a free press.Furthermore, I am inclined to think that the newspaper in question has bought the information about Prince Harry's duty in Afghanistan. This may imply there is an individual, who has sold this information without due regard for possible adverse consequences.
I am glad to learn that Prince Harry has got an opportunity to serve his country in such troubled zone as Afghanistan. His presence may improve morale among British military personnel. At the same time, his presence poses great concerns for his security and commanding officers.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Empress

None the less, I think that we can all agree that it is very disgraceful for whichever news media outlet let this one fly to have done so.

{edited for consistency - Empress}

It was an American news website that broke the news, Matt Drudge? However it was first reported in an Australian magazine and a German paper, but Drudge made it a headline story.

Originally Posted by Al_bina

For what exactly should the newspaper in question be prosecuted?

Breach of confidence! And if the death toll goes up among the allies, murder!

[pinkie40]

The Drudge Report which broke the story is extremely well connected and fed by very resepcted journalists.... The motive for leaking the story is what needs to be investigated.

[Empress]

Well, given the nature of things, and the agreements in place, the publication could be prosecuted for a number of things dependent upon the country in which it is incorporated and/or published.

For example in the US the publication could probably be prosecuted for depraved indifference, accessory to XXX (should something untoward happen to Harry), Breach of contract if they or anyone of their employees signed an agreement not to publish, theft if they have stolen the images or the information, and I could go on.

That is not to say that these would be successful prosecutions, but they could be brought. In other countries where stricter media codes are in place, there are likely to be far more opportunities for prosecution. Most countries take the safety of their troops extremely seriously and have agreements in place with media outlets that are legally binding.

[Al_bina]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Breach of confidence! And if the death toll goes up among the allies, murder!

Well... it sounds so undemoctratic ... The presence of Prince Harry may not significantly contribute to a death toll among allied troops.

[pinkie40]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Do you really think the Taliban haven't thought of that and that they will sit back and wait for another 'exclusive'? Obviously they will attack every unit with added zeal, in the hopes that one of them will be where Harry is! Harry is serving as an ordinary officer in a war zone, no layers and layers of protection.

I would "hope" extra measures have been put in place because of the direct threats that have alledgely have been made about him in the past.

Yes, Harry is amazing but I do believe a lot of credit goes to the bravery of Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Charles...because they had some "say" in all of this, I am sure!

Actually, this news could be just the thing to inspire recruits in the war against terrorism. If only the sons and daughters of a lot of powerful people could be as tenacious and courageous as Prince Harry!!

[Empress]

Well, perhaps the Queen had some say, but I doubt Charles did, as Harry is above the age of majority.

[kimebear]

Freedom of the press should not provide immunity against a blatent disregard for human life. Every soldier in Afghanistan is at risk every day, but with such a tempting target as the grandson of the Queen, enemy forces are, of course, going to pursue his whereabouts with determination. There will be a snowball effect now. Resources will have to be used to protect Harry's whereabouts, interfering with his ability to do his job and compromising the safety of all the troops.

Harry was doing his job. This ridiculous breach of confidentiality endangers too many lives to be written off as "in the public's best interest to know" mentality.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Empress

could probably be prosecuted for depraved indifference, accessory to XXX (should something untoward happen to Harry),ng.

I do wish the UK had something similar.

[BeatrixFan]

Originally Posted by Empress

Well, perhaps the Queen had some say, but I doubt Charles did, as Harry is above the age of majority.

According to Harry in the Times, the Queen told him he was going.

[pinkie40]

Will Harry serve for 2 more weeks or are they going to send him back home?

[TheTruth]

I truly hope they will send him home very soon. They can't take the chance to kill any soldier because of this news. I'm sure some talibans are already planning an attack somewhere ...

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by pinkie40

Will Harry serve for 2 more weeks or are they going to send him back home?

Hopefully the next thing anyone hears about Harry will be when he returns to the UK in one piece, whenever that is!

[Laura Elizabeth]

This is unconscionable. As Skydragon has already pointed out, this puts every soldier in Afghanistan in danger. Media in the US have been reporting that the Taliban has been actively using the social media networks to find soldiers serving in Afghanistan who post on facebook, myspace, etc., and US soldiers are being told not to do so. Information that Prince Harry is there, somewhere, is probably not news to them, but it will probably encourage the Taliban to be more aggressive in their pursuits of all soldiers in Afghanistan.

[TheTruth]

It's madness to let him stay there. UK has been, with the US, the main country engaged in this war. The Talibans have one wish : destroy every single occidental soul around. Harry is the perfect target to spread fear.