Kabul (AFP) - A high-ranking Taliban official criticized Prince Harry Friday after the latter revealed that he had killed 25 people during his military missions in Afghanistan, saying it was like removing "chess pieces" from the board.

Harry revealed in his memoirs, which are expected to be published next week, the number of people he killed during his two missions in Afghanistan, according to British media.

"The number is 25. It is not a number that brings me satisfaction, but it does not embarrass me either," he wrote in his memoirs, entitled "Spare", to be published on Tuesday.

Anas Haqqani, a high-ranking official in the Taliban, criticized the Duke of Sussex for these statements, saying that those whom Harry killed were Afghans with families.

"Mr Harry, those you killed are not chess pieces, they were human beings," he wrote in a tweet, accusing the prince of committing "war crimes."

And he added, "The truth is as I presented it. Our innocent people were chess pieces in the eyes of your soldiers, military and political leaders. But it remains that you were defeated in that game."

Afghan government spokesman Bilal Karimi also criticized Prince Harry for his statements.

"These crimes are not exclusive to Harry, but every occupied country has a history full of such crimes in our country," he wrote in a tweet.

"Afghans will never forget the crimes of the occupiers, and they will always keep the flame of protecting their religion and country alive," he added.

Harry served 10 years in the British Army and was promoted to Captain.

He performed two missions in Afghanistan against the Taliban, the first as a directive for aircraft before its air strikes in 2007 and 2008, and the second as an attack helicopter commander in 2012 and 2013.

Cameras on the nose of the Apache helicopter he piloted allowed him to assess the situation and determine how many people he had killed.

He justified his actions by recalling the 9/11 attacks in the United States and recollections from meetings with families of the victims.

He wrote in his memoirs that these officials and their supporters are "enemies of humanity" and fighting them is tantamount to retaliation for a crime against humanity.
However, his position was met with harsh criticism in Britain.

Ben McBain, a former combatant who lost an arm and a leg while serving in the Royal Navy in Afghanistan in 2008 and whom Prince Harry called a "real hero", denounced the prince's comments.

He wrote in a tweet, "I love you Prince Harry, but you should keep quiet! It makes you wonder who he's spending his time with."

As for Colonel Tim Collins, who was famous for his enthusiastic speech in front of his soldiers in preparation for the war in Iraq, he saw that the book was "a tragic profit-making hit."

"Harry has now turned against his second family, which is the army that embraced him at some point, after he abandoned the family he was born into," he said in statements to a site dealing with soldiers' news.

He commented on Harry's statement that he killed 25 people, saying, "This is not the pattern of behavior in the army, and we do not think in this way."

For her part, the journalist specializing in the affairs of the royal family, Tina Brown, accused Prince Harry of "bragging" about his achievements in Afghanistan.

"It's very repulsive," she told the BBC. "I don't think anyone would like what he did."

This is not the first time Harry has raised controversy over his duties in Afghanistan.

In 2013, he compared killing insurgents to playing video games, prompting the Taliban to question his mental health.