The Taliban said Monday it was determined to kill Prince Harry, serving in Afghanistan four years after his previous deployment was cut short over security concerns.

A militia spokesman said the group had a “high-value plan” to attack the third-in-line to the throne in the southern province of Helmand, one of the toughest battlefields in the 10-year war.

“We will do our best to kill Prince Harry and Britain’s other troops based in Helmand,” the spokesman, who gave his name as Zabihullah Mujahid, told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

“It is not important for us to kidnap him. We will target him and we will kill him,” he added.

The 27-year-old Apache helicopter pilot, who hit the headlines last month after he was photographed naked at a party in Las Vegas, will spend four months based at the heavily fortified Camp Bastion in Helmand.

“Whoever fights in our country is our enemy and we will do everything possible to kill him,” said Mujahid.

Britain says Harry’s squadron “will provide surveillance, deterrence and, when required, close combat attack capabilities as well as escort duties for other aircraft”.

In 2008, the royal was hastily withdrawn from Afghanistan when a news blackout surrounding his deployment, on the ground directing aircraft in attacks on Taliban positions, was broken.

This time, however, the military has released photographs and video of him in Afghanistan from the start.

The Ministry of Defence said any risk “has been, and will continue to be, assessed”. Agencies