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British Sniper Kills Six Taliban with One Bullet

British forces transport helicopter lands in Afghanistan
British forces transport helicopter lands in Afghanistan / AP

A British sniper in Afghanistan managed to kill six Taliban insurgents with just one bullet by hitting the target switch of a suicide bomber, whose device exploded, the Telegraph reports.

The sniper, a lance corporal in the Coldstream Guards, hit his target from 930 yards away. The incident took place in December. The shot prevented a major attack by the Taliban, Lt. Col. Richard Slack, told the Telegraph.

Incidents such as this are dwindling as armed forces in Afghanistan are decreasing their presence in the area.

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."

It is understood the L/Cpl was using an L115A3 gun, the Army’s most powerful sniper weapon.

Published under: Afghanistan