London, Feb 17: Prince Harry, the third in line for
succession to the British throne, will serve on the front
line in Iraq by the end of this month.
The 22-year-old Prince will head for Basra with comrades
from the Blues and Royals regiment within days and will then
probably be deployed along the border with Iran.
"The final details are being sorted, but he is definitely
going. Naturally, his royal status has to be taken into
account - but he will see action," a senior military source
was quoted as saying in the mirror.
Second Lieutenant Harry, who insisted on going, is likely
to be in charge of a troop of 12 soldiers in light armoured
vehicles.
They are expected to be set on reconnaissance missions,
spending days or even weeks out in the desert. Defence
Secretary Des Browne is expected to announce the news on
February 26, the tabloid said.
Prince Harry is being sent to Iraq after making it clear
he was not willing to sit out the war in safety while comrades
risked their lives.
"He has insisted on being able to perform his duties as
any other officer would. He won't be just flying a desk," the
military source told the tabloid.
"As a young officer Harry will want to go to war as a
point of pride. There would have been no point in him training
for this if that was never going to happen," he said.
Second Lieutenant Harry, who will be known as Troop
Commander Wales by colleagues in the Blues and Royals
regiment, warned superiors he would resign his commission if
he was denied active service in Afghanistan or Iraq on
security grounds.
The prince will arrive in Iraq in the middle of massive
security clampdowns centred on Baghdad and Basra. More than
1,200 British troops are sweeping across southern Iraq in
pursuit of insurgents.
Men from the Blues and Royals are among troops scheduled
to replace soldiers from the 19th Light Brigade in April. But
military commanders and royal aides have decided to allow
Harry to head to Iraq early after spending months debating
the issue.
Once he arrives in Basra Harry will receive intelligence
briefings on the insurgency in Iraq. After a few days he will
be probably be deployed along the Iranian border to help the
security operation against Shia insurgents.
Harry, who graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy last
year, will lead his troop of 12 men in light armoured vehicles
on missions to gather intelligence.
His mobile force may spend days or even weeks out in the
desert, possibly in the volatile Maysan province. Although
isolated from the main battle group, Harry is likely to
operate some distance from dangerous towns.
The royal family has a long history of war service.
George II was the last King to lead troops into battle, when
his army beat the French at Dettingen in 1743.
The Queen's father George VI was in the Royal Navy before
becoming King and saw action at the battle of Jutland in the
first world war on HMS Collingwood.
On the current royals, Prince Philip served in the Royal
Navy during the Second World War.
Bureau Report