British Sniper Kills Six Taliban Insurgents With One Shot, Prevents Major Suicide Bombing

Ashley Schaeffer BMW11 years ago

Well, this won’t stand as the longest sniper shot recorded, but it certainly will fall somewhere close to the top in the “Most Targets Eliminated With A Single Bullet” category.

Recently declassified information obtained by The Telegraph states that last December, a 20-year-old British sniper stationed in Kakaran, Afghanistan, took out a suicide bomber and five of his Quran cronies with a single shot. You can bet this is a story no one in his regiment is likely to stop retelling anytime soon.

From a distance almost eight football fields long–930 yards–the lance corporal from Britain’s Coldstream Guards regiment hit his target, which was a trigger switch on a Taliban suicide bomber’s vest. Obviously it was one hell of a shot, considering the instantaneous explosion ended a soon-to-be terrorist plot. It’s even more impressive that the sniper executed it with five other targets in the vicinity; the explosion put an end to anything diabolical possibly going on in their heads.

Lt Col Richard Slack, commanding officer of 9/12 Royal Lancers, said the unnamed sharpshooter prevented a major attack by the Taliban, as a second suicide vest packed with 20kg (44lbs) of explosives was found nearby.

The same sniper, with his first shot on the tour of duty, killed a Taliban machine-gunner from 1,465 yards (1,340m).

Several hundred British and Afghan soldiers were carrying out an operation in December when they were engaged in a gun battle with 15 to 20 insurgents.

“The guy was wearing a vest. He was identified by the sniper moving down a tree line and coming up over a ditch,” said Lt Col Slack. “He had a shawl on. It rose up and the sniper saw he had a machine gun.

“They were in contact and he was moving to a firing position. The sniper engaged him and the guy exploded. There was a pause on the radio and the sniper said, ‘I think I’ve just shot a suicide bomber’. The rest of them were killed in the blast.”

Pretty damn impressive, unnamed lance corporal. I know I’m not alone in saying thank you for your service. That shot was one for the record books, and it surely saved many innocent lives.

Speaking of record books, for those wondering, a Brit also tops the “Longest Recorded Sniper Kill In Combat” category. Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison consecutively picked off two Taliban gunmen in November 2009 from a range of 2,707 yards. If I was him, people would always address me by my full title, first and last name, with a “sir” at the end for good measure.

If they didn’t, I’d have them wondering if I might be a mile and a half away at all times.

[via The Telegraph]

Image via Wikimedia