Prince Harry at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan

A Taliban commander has told Sky News that Prince Harry was the primary target of an attack on a major Allied military base in Afghanistan.

Speaking from Cairo, Sky News Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "It appears that rather than the attack being linked to the video, it was actually Prince Harry that was the target."

"This is quite a development, that the Taliban is confirming Prince Harry was the primary target."

The Taliban claimed earlier that the attack was carried out in revenge for a low-budget YouTube film which allegedly motivated rioters in Libya to kill the US ambassador and three other Americans this week.

"Last night, a number of mujahideen fighters have carried out suicide attacks on Camp Bastion of Helmand in revenge for the insulting movie by the Americans," spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone.

Two US Marines died and several others were hurt when militants launched the attack on Camp Bastion late Friday.

US officials said the heavily-armed insurgents used a range of weaponry, including mortars, rockets and small arms fire.

Prince Harry was about two kilometres away with other crew members of the Apache attack helicopters, of which he is a co-pilot gunner, when the attack took place, sources said. He was unharmed.

Harry, who celebrates his 28th birthday today, arrived in Afghanistan last Friday on his second tour of duty in the country.