Prince Harry’s commanding officer has paid tribute to his grit on the front line, where he served at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Delhi alongside the Gurkhas. The firebase near the town of Garmsir is the first stop for jihadis heading north into Helmand from the lawless Pakistani border region.

In his time under fire the Prince would have forged a strong bond with the Nepalese soldiers, who are fierce in combat and possess enviable stamina. Yesterday, as the main part of First Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles prepared to leave Afghanistan after a six-month tour, they talked for the first time about their association with the young joint tactical air controller with whom they had trained in Britain.

Men on faraway freezing hillsides heard the Prince’s voice on their radio sets as he spoke to pilots in Afghan airspace. The airmen had no idea who he was but the Gurkhas knew.

It is one of the hottest FOBs. Lieutenant-Colonel Jonny Bourne, commanding officer of First Battalion, said: “FOB Delhi is probably the busiest place in Helmand, with attacks daily — rockets, mortars, small arms fire, that sort of thing.”

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• Full text of Prince Harry interview in Afghanistan

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The Gurkhas recruit one out of every 500 applicants. Many have completed higher education in Kathmandu or India or are the sons of ex-Gurkha soldiers settled in Britain.

Lt-Col Bourne had not needed to discuss the Prince with the FOB’s Officer Commanding: the Prince “was just another member of the team”. Many soldiers in Helmand knew he was there and some had seen him on the FOB. But the Gurkhas did not talk about him to outsiders. Lt-Col Bourne said: “We were very discreet. Gurkhas would have looked out for him.”

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