Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Prince Harry Will NOT, Repeat NOT be Going to Iraq

Prince Harry will not be sent with his unit to Iraq, Britain's top general said Wednesday, citing specific threats to the third in line to the throne and the risks to his fellow soldiers.

Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, the army chief of staff who recently traveled to Iraq, said the changing situation on the ground exposed the prince to too much danger. Media scrutiny of Harry's potential deployment exacerbated the situation, he said.

``There have been a number of specific threats, some reported and some not reported, that relate directly to Prince Harry as an individual,'' Dannatt said. ``These threats exposed him and those around him to a degree of risk I considered unacceptable.''

There have been reported threats by Iraqi insurgents to kill or kidnap the prince, including claims his photograph had been widely circulated among militants.

Clarence House, the office of Harry's father, Prince Charles, said Harry was disappointed that ``he will not be able to go to Iraq with his troop deployment as he had hoped.''

``He fully understands Gen. Dannatt's difficult decision and remains committed to his army career,'' the statement said. ``Prince Harry's thoughts are with the rest of the battle group in Iraq.'' (
Source)

1 comment:

John Going Gently said...

just wanted to tell you...good blog!