LONDON: Prince Harry鈥檚 remarks about killing 25 Taliban fighters while serving in the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan have damaged his reputation, a former British commander has told the BBC.

Retired Col. Richard Kemp described Harry鈥檚 statement 鈥� that the fighters were 鈥渃hess pieces removed from the board鈥� 鈥� as 鈥渋ll-judged鈥� and 鈥渕isleading.鈥�

The prince鈥檚 remarks on his period as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan came as part of his memoir 鈥淪pare鈥� ahead of the book鈥檚 release.

He said: 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a statistic that filled me with pride but nor did it leave me ashamed. When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion of combat, I didn鈥檛 think of those 25 as people.

鈥淭hey were chess pieces removed from the board. Bad people eliminated before they could kill good people.鈥�

Kemp criticized Harry鈥檚 summary of the UK Armed Forces鈥� attitude toward enemy combatants, saying: 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 wrong when he says in his book that insurgents were seen just as being virtually unhuman 鈥� subhuman perhaps 鈥� just as chess pieces to be knocked over. That鈥檚 not the case at all. And it鈥檚 not the way the British Army trains people as he claims.

鈥淚 think that sort of comment that doesn鈥檛 reflect reality, is misleading and potentially valuable to those people who wish the British forces and British government harm, so I think it was an error of judgment.

鈥淚t inflames old feelings of revenge that might have been forgotten about ... no doubt about it there are people in the world today who already would have seen this and will be thinking about getting him back.鈥�

MP Adam Holloway, who served with the British Army during the Iraq War, said Harry鈥檚 comments broke a longtime military rule to avoid revealing personal kill counts. He added: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about macho codes. It鈥檚 about decency and respect for the lives you have taken.鈥�

A serving soldier told the BBC that the prince鈥檚 comments were 鈥渧ery unsoldier-like.鈥�

A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson, when asked for comment by the BBC on Harry鈥檚 remarks, said: 鈥淲e do not comment on operational details for security reasons.鈥�