Prince Harry may return to Afghanistan

Britain's Prince Harry, who served as part of the British deployment in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008, may return to active duty there.

While a Ministry of Defence spokesman told the British newspaper The Guardian, "We cannot comment on the deployment of individual service personnel," The Daily Telegraph reported the ministry has agreed in principle that Harry, 26, can be deployed for his second tour of Afghanistan next year.

Additionally, Clarence House, the official residence of The Prince of Wales and his family, told the paper, "Harry is an army pilot and will deploy wherever the army chooses to send him. His course finishes in 2012 and after that his deployment will be a matter for the army chain of command."

In April, Harry received his Apache Flying Badge, qualifying him to pilot Apache combat helicopters, which have armor-piercing cannons and can launch Hellfire missiles. He is undergoing a seven-month battle-pilot course at the Royal Air Force's Wattisham Airfield, in England's Suffolk county.

As a second lieutenant, the prince had served 10 weeks as a forward air controller with the Blues and Royals regiment in Helmand Province, directing jets bombing Taliban positions.

But after the Australian magazine New Idea reported details of the regiment in January 2008, Harry was removed over concern his presence could heighten the chance of attacks on his fellow soldiers.

Although relatively safe from enemy fire while in the air, Harry would be in mortal danger if forced to make an emergency landing in hostile territory, the paper said. It noted that Apache pilots each carry a pistol and an SA80 assault rifle for ground fighting.

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