Prince Harry 'set to return to Afghanistan'

More than two years after he was forced to cut short his deployment in Afghanistan, Prince Harry is all set to return to the war-torn nation as a chopper pilot with the Royal Army, a media report said on Sunday.

According to the Sunday Express, the 25-year-old third-in-line to the British throne, who has completed the first phase of his pilot's training course, has expressed his desire for another round of army duty in Afghanistan.

And this time, he wants to fly the twin-engined combat chopper Lynx used to evacuate wounded troops from hotspots too tight or dangerous for larger helicopters.

Harry, the first member of the Royal family to serve on a military frontline since the Falklands in 1982, was forced to quit his Afghanistan tour after spending some 10 weeks in Helmand province in early 2008, following leakage of details of his posting.

During his stint in Afghanistan, he had the lives of British troops in his hands in his key role as a battlefield air controller. He operated 500 yards from enemy positions, calling in air strikes and carrying out the surveillance of Taliban fighters in Helmand province.

As a battlefield air controller in Afghanistan, Prince Harry regularly gave final clearance for Apache helicopters to take part in military strikes.

Last year, he said flying helicopters would be the best way to thwart military and royal naysayers. "I'm really enjoying it and as everyone knows it's my easiest way of getting back to the frontline. May be safer, may be not, I don't know," Harry had said.

However, the Ministry of Defence refused to confirm the news.