The Taliban took ownership Saturday for the overnight attack on a British base in southern Afghanistan — and cited Prince Harry, one of the thousands of British soldiers stationed there, as a contributing motive.
"We attacked that base because Prince Harry was also on it and so they can know our anger," Taliban spokesman Qari Youssef Ahmadi told The Associated Press by telephone. "Thousands more suicide attackers are ready to give up their lives for the sake of the Prophet."
The attack killed two U.S. Marines and wounded several other troops. Helicopter pilot Prince Harry, who turns 28 Saturday, was unharmed in the attack, a spokesperson for Britain's Ministry of Defense told the Press Association.
Kari Yousef Ahmed, a Taliban spokesman, told CBS News the main motive for the attack was an anti-Islamic film, but the British base was chosen due to Prince Harry's presence.
The younger brother of Prince William is currently serving a four-month combat deployment as a gunner on an Apache helicopter. Harry briefly served in Afghanistan in 2008, but was withdrawn due to security concerns after 10 weeks.
