The bloody day Harry was witness to an horrific war crime: Prince was just 220yds away when US Special Forces trooper fired machine gun at Afghan goat herders

• Harry witnesses a US trooper fire a machine gun at a group of shepherds
• The incident took place on Harry's first tour in Afghanistan
• Other soldiers in Harry's regiment made complaints about the attack
• Sgt Deane Smith, a soldier in the Household Cavalry, is releasing the first account of Harry's time at war

By MARK NICOL

PUBLISHED: 21:10 GMT, 13 July 2013 | UPDATED: 23:07 GMT, 13 July 2013

Prince Harry was no more than 220 yards away when a US trooper standing aboard an armoured vehicle cocked a .50 calibre machine gun and fired successive bursts at Afghan shepherds tending their goats, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The shocking incident, which  was confirmed last night by the Ministry of Defence, triggered a war crimes investigation by US military police. 

It took place on Harry’s first frontline tour of Afghanistan, which, until today, has been shrouded in secrecy.

At the time Harry’s squadron from the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) were mounting joint patrols in Helmand province with a US Special Forces unit codenamed ‘Task Force 32’.

According to a British eye- witness the three shepherds were peacefully minding their own business when they were engaged. 

Given the force of the heavy machine gun rounds it is likely  they suffered serious or fatal  injuries, though their bodies were never recovered.

When the US trooper ceased  firing, Harry’s commander, Major Paul Bedford, marched over to where the American vehicles were parked and raised the concerns of British soldiers who were adamant that the engagement was entirely unjustified.

Harry’s colleague Sergeant Deane Smith, 40, was so enraged that he recorded his reaction on a video camera, saying: ‘The Americans are fifty-caling [machine-gunning] goat herders and it’s disgraceful!’ 

Sgt Smith then zoomed in on the armoured vehicle from where the US trooper had launched his attack.

Sgt Smith, a commando engineer, has given the first graphic account of Harry’s front-line experiences and how the Prince dodged repeated Taliban ambushes. 

Harry’s first tour ended in February 2008 after an Australian magazine broke a media embargo over his presence in the war zone. 

Subsequent reports suggested Harry was treated as a VIP rather than just another junior officer while he was there. In fact, as this newspaper has established, he was pitched into the thick of the fighting.

Sgt Smith has told The Mail on  Sunday how the day before Task Force 32 opened fire on the shepherds, Harry witnessed the deaths of young children when a Taliban rocket intended to strike his vehicle missed its target and struck an Afghan family home. 

FULL STORY: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2362684/The-bloody-day-Harr...