A sniper from the 82nd Airborne Division, peers through his scope June 5 to observe a target during an exercise on Fort Bragg, N.C. A British sniper in Afghanistan reportedly killed six insurgents with a single bullet when he hit a suicide bomber’s trigger switch. (Sgt. Adonis Williams/Army)
A British sharpshooter in Afghanistan has redefined the term, “badass.”
The sniper killed killed six insurgents with a single bullet after hitting the trigger switch of a suicide bomber whose device then exploded, The Telegraph reported.
The 20-year-old marksman, a lance corporal in the Coldstream Guards who was not named, reportedly hit his target from 930 yards away, killing the suicide bomber and five others around him caught in the blast.
“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. Richard Slack, commanding officer of 9/12 Royal Lancers told the newspaper. “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.”
The sniper was using an L115A3 Long Range Rifle, the British Army’s most powerful sniper weapon, The Telegraph reported.
Slack said the sniper prevented a major attack by the Taliban, as a second suicide vest packed with 44lbs of explosives was found nearby.
The incident in Kakaran in southern Afghanistan happened in December but has only now been disclosed as Britain moves towards the withdrawal of all combat soldiers by the end of the year.
The same sniper, with his first shot on the tour of duty, reportedly killed a Taliban machine-gunner from 1,465 yards.
5 Comments
i like to armay
Just wait a year or so. When we leave Afghanistan and they have no reason to use their suicide bombers there anymore guess where they’ll be sending them. Hope he has as good a view of the bad guys when they start riding the trains. Take the war to the enemy or they will just bring it to you. We never learn!
Wouldn’t be allowed by American Sniper because of stupid ROE. An enemy is an enemy and should be shot on sight. Will be happy when abolished.
I’ve seen this list going around the internet, and much of it is true, but doesn’t tell a full picture on some of these closings.
Not to be picky, but it is very doubtful the sniper hit the “Trigger Switch” of the devise.
The kinetic energy of the bullet impact would be more than sufficient to trigger the explosive.