A Canadian soldier in Iraq has killed an ISIS militant from more than two miles away, shattering the world record for a confirmed sniper kill in military history.
According to Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper, the gun specialist from the elite Joint Task Force 2 achieved the feat with a shot from a high-rise during an operation within the past 30 days.
“The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh [Islamic State] attack on Iraqi security forces,” a military source — who requested anonymity because the unit’s operations are classified — told the paper. “Instead of dropping a bomb that could potentially kill civilians in the area, it is a very precise application of force and because it was so far way, the bad guys didn’t have a clue what was happening.”
The 3,450-meter shot, which took about 10 seconds to reach its target, was independently verified by a video camera and other data, the source said.
The prior record was held by a British sniper, Craig Harrison, who in 2009 shot a Taliban gunner from 2,475 meters, or about a mile and a half, away during an operation in Afghanistan.
According to Newsweek, Canada has been involved in the war against ISIS since 2014, with the new government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government expanding the number of Canadian special forces involved in training missions with Kurdish Peshmerga forces from 69 to 207.
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U. Sergeant Bryan Kremer has the longest confirmed sniper kill shot by a U. soldier, the Globe and Mail reported. He killed an Iraqi insurgent from 2,300 meters in 2004.
Joint Task Force troops are primarily tasked with counterterrorism, sniper operations and hostage rescue, the paper said. The unit’s snipers are members of Canadian Special Operations Regiment.
According to the source quoted by Globe and Mail, snipers usually work with an observer.
“Canada has a world-class sniper system,” the source told the paper. “It is not just a sniper. They work in pairs. … This is a skill set that only a very few people have.”
They also have to account for wind speed and the increasing downward motion of the bullet as it loses speed over such a long distance.
“You have to adjust for him firing from a higher location downward and as the round drops you have to account for that,” the source told the paper. “And from that distance you actually have to account for the curvature of the Earth.”
According to Newsweek, the record shot means that three of the top five longest confirmed kills were carried out by Canadian snipers. The top five are:
1: Canadian sniper in Iraq (2017): 3,450 meters.
2: British sniper Craig Harrison in Afghanistan (2009): 2,475 meters
3: Canadian sniper Rob Furlong in Afghanistan (2002): 2,430 meters
4: Canadian sniper Arron Perry in Afghanistan (2002): 2,310 meters
5: U. sniper Brian Kremer in Iraq (2004): 2,300 meters
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