Prince Harry Heads to War in Afghanistan

Sept. 7, 2012— -- Britain's Prince Harry is back on the front lines, returning to military duty for a four-month deployment in Afghanistan.

A newly released video shows the prince, or Capt. Wales, as he is known in the British army, arriving Friday in Afghanistan to take part in a top-secret mission to join coalition forces fighting the Taliban. Prince Harry will report to Camp Bastion in Helmand Province in southeast Afghanistan, military officials said.

In this, the prince's second trip to Afghanistan, Harry's job will entail flying Apache helicopters on various missions, including escorting other helicopters carrying troops and equipment, conducting surveillance missions and targeting Taliban fighters.

READ MORE: Is Prince Harry Hiding?

Harry, 27, qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot in February after completing a rigorous 18-month training program in the United Kingdom and United States that left him and his fellow trainees, "up to the challenge of operating one the of the most sophisticated attack helicopters in the world," according to a news release issued by Britain's Defense Ministry at the time.

Prince Harry was named as the best front-seat pilot, or co-pilot gunner, from his class of more than 20 fellow Apache helicopter pilots at a ceremony in February to mark the end of the training. Harry's award was one of only two given at the end of the training course and marked the student whose "overall performance during the course is assessed as the best amongst their peer group," the ministry noted.

U.K. tabloid The Sun broke news in January that the 18-month training program included Harry, who first entered the military in 2005, being hooded and threatened in intense hostage training to prepare him for a possible return to Afghanistan.

Harry, the third in line to the throne, is the first British royal to complete that level of intense training, according to the Sun.

Harry's first deployment to Afghanistan, in late 2007, was scheduled to last three months but was cut short after 10 weeks when his cover was blown. Harry was immediately removed from the field amid fears he could become a terrorist target.

"At the end of the day, you're in a war zone and you're responsible to look after yourself, the guy to the left, and the guy to the right. And I think it's really that simple," he told ABC News' Bob Woodruff in 2011 of his service.

Camp Bastion, where Harry will be based, is the main British base and logistics hub for operations in Helmand. Harry will join more than 28,000 civilian workers and service members, including 12,000 U.S. troops based at the adjoining Camp Leatherneck, at the base.

Prince Harry's return to military duty comes weeks after nude photos of his partying in Las Vegas were leaked on the Internet.

Harry, who, sources told ABC News, was in Vegas blowing off steam before reporting back to military duty, was reportedly caught in the photos after playing a game of strip billiards. The photos, including one of Harry standing and covering his genitals and one in which he is bear-hugging a naked woman, made headlines but did little to derail the image of the much-loved prince, with many in Great Britain laughing it off.

This week in London, Prince Harry made his first public appearance since the naked photos were leaked.

READ MORE: Prince Harry Re-Emerges After Photo Scandal

The fully clothed prince attended the WellChild Awards Ceremony last week and joked with children at the event. ITV, a British TV network, reported that one of the children, a 6-year-old boy named Alex Logan, said he planned to tell the prince he was "glad he got his clothes on" when he met the royal.

The boy's mother, Debbie Logan, said Prince Harry told him not to go there when they met.

"Harry said to Alex, 'You keep looking up at your mum, looks like you're dying to say something, but you know she will tell you off," Logan told ITV. "I hear you were on ITV earlier, you said something cheeky. Let's not talk about that here."

ABC News' Jean-Nicholas Fievet and Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report.