Former Harry commander quits Army

Sep 25 2009

Prince Harry's former Army commander in Afghanistan has resigned, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Major-General Andrew Mackay was recently promoted to the post of General Officer Commanding Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

The MoD said the departure of Maj-Gen Mackay, who commanded the Helmand Task Force from October 2007 until April 2008, was a "personal matter".

The highlight of his operational tour to Afghanistan was the re-capture of the strategic town of Musa Qaleh from the Taliban. He was later awarded a CBE for his role in the operation.

Prince Harry spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan from December 2007 under Maj-Gen Mackay's command.

A MoD spokesman said: "We can confirm that Major-General Andrew Mackay has decided to leave the Army. This is a personal matter for him."