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Prince Harry you killed innocent Afghans

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The Taliban has denounced UK’s Prince Harry for his admission of killing 25 people while on military duty in Afghanistan. The officials alleged that the son of Britain’s King Charles committed war crimes and killed innocent civilians.

The condemnation came after Harry in his memoir revealed the number of people he killed during his second tour of Afghanistan.

“My number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me,” he wrote in the book “Spare”.

“When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion of combat I didn’t think of those 25 as people. They were chess pieces removed from the board. Bad people eliminated before they could kill Good people.”

Harry went further and tried to justify his action and said he killed those people because of the 9/11 attacks in the US and there is no room to show sympathy for the “enemies of humanity”.

Harry, 38, said he has been neither proud nor ashamed of the deaths. Harry served 10 years in the British military, rising to the rank of captain.

They were not chess pieces, they were humans

A senior Taliban aide, Anas Haqqani expressed his anger over Harry’s claims and said those who were killed were humans not chess pieces.

“Mr. Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return. Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes,” Haqqani said.

Senior Taliban aide, Anas Haqqani

The truth is what you’ve said, Haqqani furthered, adding “Our innocent people were chess pieces to your soldiers, military and political leaders. Still, you were defeated in that (game) of white and black (square).

Haqqani said that he doesn’t expect that the Intentional Criminal Court will summon Harry or the human rights activists will condemn his action, because they are “deaf and blind” to Harry’s case.

“But hopefully these atrocities will be remembered in the history of humanity,” he added.

Speaking to Harici, a top Taliban official anonymously said that it is not the fault of “Prince Harry”, killing of innocent Afghan is the nature of the UK’s government and its soldiers.

“Your fathers were here in Afghanistan in 1839, 1878, then in 1919 for killing and colonizing us. You have walked on the same path and have done nothing strange,” the official said, referring to Harry’s claim he killed 25 people.

The official added that Harry’s confession has revealed his real dynastic nature, which is covered under the “deceptive slogans of humanity and nonsense anti terror war.”

During their 20 years of presence, the foreign troops in general were responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, children, and women in Afghanistan, he added.

Harry needs to see a psychiatrist

While Mr. Harry is trying level best to show that he isn’t going through any mental illness, but still he needs to go to a psychiatrist, an Afghan expert said. “Killing innocent people and calling them chess pieces is not the work of a normal human being,” Obaidullah Basir said.

“Being happy to kill people without verification or a single check if they are terrorists or civilians, itself indicates an illness of cruelty and inhumanity,” the expert said.

“Personnel and family dispute and other complexity could definitely affect mental health and Mr. Harry has experienced this,” Dr. Matin Royeen, an Afghan-American peace educator told Harici.

Dr. Royeen said that Harry was very young when he lost his mother in a traffic accident and apart from this tragedy, Harry also grew up in the royal family where disputes among his parents were frequent. “Harry had risen in a dysfunctional family and this has affected him,” he said.

Harry has yet to find himself and he also feels abandoned by the royal family and now he wants to end its relation with the royal family forever.

Of course, when Harry returns to the battleground with such a mentality, he sees everyone as the enemy.

In the bigger picture, soldiers from any country, no matter from the US, UK, or others, view the people as an enemy in the battleground. “To justify their act, the soldiers kill people like they are trees, or chairs and on the battlefield they don’t have any human emotion and they see humans as an enemy that must be eliminated,” Dr. Royeen added.

Harry committed war crimes

Taliban Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abdul Qahar Balkhi criticized Harry for his comments and said that the western occupation of Afghanistan is truly an odious moment in human history.

Prince Harry in a Spartan armoured vehicle in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, in 2008

Balkhi furthered that comments by Prince Harry are a microcosm of the trauma experienced by the Afghans in the past two decades at the hands of occupied forces. “These invaders have killed a number of innocent people and went out without any accountability,” he added.

Harry’s confession of killing people is a “small example” of humanitarian crimes committed by foreign troops in Afghanistan, said the Deputy Spokesman of Taliban, Bilal Karimi.

Several such incidents happened in different parts of the country and the troops of every “occupied country” had a history of “brutal past”, according to Karimi.

A former British Army commander in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp, said that Harry’s remarks undermine the good work he did.

Kemp said that Harry is indirectly suggesting the British Army trains “people, including him,” not to see the enemy as human beings, which is very far from the truth”.

Harry has served two tours in Afghanistan. His first tour was from 2007 to 2008 and the second from 2012 to 2013 and the British troops were mostly stationed in the south of Afghanistan.

ASIA

China increases state funding for strategic minerals

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China is increasing state support for the exploration of domestic mines amid intensifying competition with the US.

According to an analysis by the Financial Times based on official announcements, at least half of China’s 34 provincial-level governments, including resource-rich regions such as Xinjiang, announced increased subsidies or expanded access for mineral exploration last year.

The increase in funding comes as control over the world’s strategic minerals emerges as a flashpoint between the US and China. The two superpowers are competing for resources needed for advanced technologies such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, robotics, and missiles.

“A series of major breakthroughs have been made in mineral exploration, significantly enhancing the ability to ensure the security of key industrial and supply chains and respond to external environmental uncertainties,” Xiong Zili, director of the geological exploration and management department of the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, told reporters this year.

He added that the new mineral exploration plan focuses on increasing domestic energy resources and “strategic” minerals.

China is the world’s largest producer of 30 of the 44 critical minerals tracked by the US Geological Survey.

Seeking to break Beijing’s dominance over the sector, US President Donald Trump has prioritized domestic mining, as well as access to critical minerals abroad, including in Greenland, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, since returning to the White House in January.

Xi Jinping has focused on China’s self-reliance in science and technology and developing its ability to be self-sufficient since becoming the leader of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in 2012.

This effort has become even more imperative amid escalating tensions with the US, and Xi has turned to strengthening supply chains and prioritizing advanced manufacturing and newly emerging high technologies.

Beijing’s mineral supply chains are a critical geopolitical leverage point in the trade and technology war with the US. The government has allocated more than 100 billion RMB ($13.8 billion) annually to geological exploration investments since 2022, marking the highest three-year period in the last decade.

Last year, China also tightened controls over the export of strategic minerals, including gallium, germanium, antimony, graphite, and tungsten, many of which are vital for chip manufacturing, in response to US restrictions on technology exports to China.

Cory Combs, deputy director at the Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China, said that China provides subsidies, tax incentives, and other forms of support to the domestic mining sector “independently” of commodity market cycles.

“From a market perspective, this is extravagance,” Combs told the Financial Times. “But in terms of political and economic security, it is not at all extravagant; it is worth the cost. According to Beijing, money is not the only goal.”

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China delays approval for BYD’s Mexico factory amid US concerns

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The Beijing administration is delaying approval for the electric vehicle manufacturer BYD to establish a factory in Mexico, over concerns that the smart car technology developed by China’s largest electric vehicle producer could leak across the border into the US.

BYD initially announced plans in 2023 to build a car factory in Mexico, with intentions to also produce vehicles in Brazil, Hungary, and Indonesia. The Mexico factory was projected to employ 10,000 people and produce 150,000 vehicles annually.

However, according to two individuals familiar with the matter, local car manufacturers require approval from China’s Ministry of Commerce to produce overseas, and the ministry has not yet granted this approval.

Officials fear that Mexico would grant unrestricted access to BYD’s advanced technology and know-how, potentially even allowing the US to access it. One of these individuals told the Financial Times, “The biggest concern for the Ministry of Commerce is Mexico’s proximity to the US.”

According to these individuals who spoke to the Financial Times, Beijing is also prioritizing projects in countries that are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure development program.

Changing geopolitical dynamics have also contributed to the cooling of relations with Mexico. Mexico attempted to maintain relations with Donald Trump, who threatened exports and employment by imposing customs duties on cross-border trade.

Trump also initiated a trade war with Beijing, imposing customs duties on imports from China. In retaliation, Beijing imposed customs duties on approximately $22 billion of US goods, primarily targeting America’s agricultural sector.

Trump’s team accused Mexico of being a “back door” for Chinese goods to enter the US duty-free through the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Mexican government denies this, but responded to US pressure by imposing customs duties on Chinese textile products and initiating anti-dumping investigations into steel and aluminum products originating from China.

The second individual stated, “The new government in Mexico has further complicated the situation for BYD by adopting a hostile stance towards Chinese companies.”

In November, shortly after Trump’s re-election, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that there had still been no “definite” investment offer from any Chinese company to establish operations in Mexico, despite BYD reaffirming its intention to invest $1 billion earlier that month.

Gregor Sebastian, a senior analyst at the US-based consulting firm Rhodium Group, noted, “The Mexican government clearly wants to receive some investment [from China], but its trade relations with the US are much more important.”

Sebastian stated that it would not be “commercially logical” for BYD to currently expedite the construction of a production facility in Mexico, noting that the absence of a robust automotive supply chain would force BYD to import numerous components from China, which would be subject to higher customs duties.

When asked whether US customs tariffs and Mexico’s tougher stance against China had halted the company’s plans, BYD Vice President Stella Li stated that “they had not yet made a decision regarding the Mexico plant.”

Last year in February, Li had said that they would choose a location for the factory by the end of 2024.

BYD reported selling over 40,000 vehicles in Mexico last year. The company stated that it aims to double its sales volume in 2025 and open 30 new dealerships in the country.

BYD sold 4.3 million electric and hybrid vehicles worldwide in 2024 and introduced the “God’s Eye” advanced driving system in February, planning to install this system in its entire model range.

Earlier this month, Tesla’s biggest competitor raised $5.6 billion from the sale of shares in Hong Kong, with the proceeds expected to support its overseas expansion.

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BYD shares soar on promise of ‘5-minute EV charge’

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Shares of BYD, China’s electric vehicle (EV) champion, hit a new record high on Tuesday after its founder, Wang Chuanfu, claimed their EVs can now charge as quickly as filling a car with traditional fuel.

BYD, a rival to Tesla, saw its shares rise by over 6% in early trading in Hong Kong, reaching HK$408.80 (approximately $52.62) per share, marking an approximate gain of 85% over the last 12 months.

The company’s billionaire founder, Wang, stated on Monday that the new charging system developed by the Shenzhen group for BYD’s own EV batteries can add approximately 470 km of range in five minutes.

This claim suggests that BYD has surpassed competitors like Tesla and Mercedes-Benz in fast-charging technology, although the new system depends on several preconditions, including sufficient voltage at charging stations.

There is increasing competition among EV and battery manufacturers to establish faster charging infrastructure to help alleviate consumer concerns about the driving range and charging speed of EVs compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.

According to Chris Liu, a Shanghai-based senior analyst at Omdia consulting, China is estimated to install approximately 460,000 new public EV chargers this year, accounting for about two-thirds of the global total, bringing cumulative units to approximately 2.1 million.

BYD’s recent share price increase comes a month after the company shook the global automotive industry by launching a free advanced autonomous driving system, dubbed “God’s Eye,” which it plans to install in its entire new car series.

These moves put further pressure on Elon Musk’s Tesla and Germany’s Volkswagen, as well as a host of domestic competitors, who have been losing market share as EV sales have exploded in China in recent years.

According to data from Automobility, a consulting firm in Shanghai, BYD already holds approximately 35% of the Chinese EV market. It has an 18% share in the pure battery EV segment and a 56% share in the plug-in hybrid segment.

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