Afghanistan's Taliban claimed responsibility today for an attack on a base which US officials said killed two American Marines, saying it was in response to a film that insults the Prophet Muhammad.
Camp Bastion, in southern Helmand province, came under mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire late last night.
The assault also wounded several servicemen.
"The aim of this attack was revenge against Americans for the anti-Prophet movie," said Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf.
US president Barack Obama has vowed to "stand fast" against violence which has been spreading since the amateurish film of obscure origin triggered an attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans on September 11th.
Britain's Prince Harry was at Camp Bastion at the time of the attack, but was unharmed.
Earlier this week, the Afghan Taliban said they were doing everything in their power to either kill or kidnap Queen Elizabeth's grandson in what they dubbed their "Harry Operations.
"Prince Harry was never in any danger," Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, said, adding that it would investigate whether his presence on the base had motivated the attack.
Britain's Sky News said a Taliban commander had told the broadcaster that Prince Harry was main target of the attack. Sky's Kabul correspondent said she checked with a Taliban spokesman, who said the attack on Bastion was indeed in revenge for the Islam film, but that Bastion was chosen as the target because Prince Harry was there.
"After saying this attack was mounted in reaction to the video on Islam, it is entirely predictable that the Taliban have changed their tune to say it was aimed at Captain Wales," a British defence source said on Saturday, referring to Prince Harry.
"The insurgents who mounted this attack, most of whom were killed by ISAF, were nowhere near Captain Wales, who, with other UK and ISAF personnel, was under lockdown."
The force has not confirmed the nationality of the two people killed in the attack on the base.
A spokesman for the Helmand governor said 17 bodies had been discovered and they were all thought to be insurgents killed in the fighting.
Reuters