Deadlier Then Chris Kyle
Deadlier than American sniper Chris Kyle: With 173 kills, Marine is revealed as the world's deadliest
- The Briton recorded most of his kills during tours of Afghanistan in 2006/7
- Unnamed Royal Marine, from southern England, has 173 confirmed kills
- Figure puts him ahead of the US Navy SEAL commando Chris Kyle, who had 160 confirmed kills
- British sniper said to have hit 90 Taliban fighters in one day at a stronghold
- Married father-of-two has completed at least five tours of duty
- He has served with the Navy's elite unit for more than a decade
A Royal Marine has been revealed as the world’s deadliest sniper after 173 confirmed kills on Taliban targets.
Most of the hits took place during one six-month tour in Afghanistan – with 90 militants taken out in just one day.
At his most deadly, the sniper, who cannot be named for security reasons, was said to have killed a Taliban gunman every ten minutes.
His confirmed enemy kills exceed the 160 of Chris Kyle, the deadliest marksman in US military history. Kyle’s skills – which allowed him to hit targets from more than a mile away – feature in the Oscar-nominated film American Sniper.
A source close to the British marksman, a married father from the south of England, described him as ‘deadlier than the plague’.
Only people inside the community know about his incredible contribution – but young recruits are in awe of him,’ the source said.
‘He is one of a unique band of marksmen who have done extraordinary things.
‘He’s not the sort of man to brag. He’s very professional and humble, but with a gun in his hands this bloke is deadlier than the plague. He’s a legend, a unique breed,’ the source told the Sun.
He added that the 173 count was ‘conservative’ and unconfirmed kills would take the figure much higher.
Kyle, a member of the elite American Navy SEAL commando unit, claimed 255 kills over six years in Iraq, but only 160 of them were officially confirmed by the Pentagon.
Most of the Briton’s kills occurred during Operation Herrick V over the winter of 2006-7 when the Afghan war was at its height. He was serving with the elite Bridge Reconnaissance Force across Helmand.
Used by British snipers on the battlefield, the L115 A3 rifle is a long-range, large-calibre weapon, nicknamed The Silent Assassin, or The Long.
In 2008, the version used by the deadly sniper during Herrick V was replaced with a newer improved model which has twice the magnifying power of the old rifle.
It provides state-of-the art telescopic views, both day and night, to give the sniper the best possible range in any weathers.
The rifle, which weighs is designed to achieve a first-round hit at 600 metres, but has a range of up to 1,100metres, and fires an 8.59mm bullet.
It is also fixed with a silencer, and an adjustable stand so the sniper can be sure of a stable base while firing.
In November 2009, a British Army sniper set the current record for longest recorded sniper kill by killing two Taliban machine gunners south of Musa Qala in Helmand Province in Afghanistan at a range of 2,475 metres using a L115A3.
The L115A3 Alpha rifle fires a .338 calibre bullet with accuracy over ranges exceeding a kilometre. The source said the Marine was never boastful about his shooting, adding: ‘But he is not ashamed either. Every shot was judged and balanced, not indiscriminate.
He always saw the men between the cross hairs as humans, not targets. He is not interested in kill counts.
‘He has not struggled emotionally or psychologically with what has happened. He must be the most lethal sniper in the world.’
The Marine, who has served for more than a decade, returned to Afghanistan in 2010 during Operation Herrick XIII. The Ministry of Defence last night confirmed that the Marine had killed 90 Taliban in just one day.
He has completed more than five tours, from Northern Ireland to Afghanistan and Iraq – but not all as a sniper. The role of the Bridge Reconnaissance Force in Afghanistan was to surge through designated areas hunting the Taliban up and down the Helmand River.
Before first light, they would move into a hidden positions which commanded views over large urban areas. A source added: ‘People…say he would take out sentries in spider holes, stood up to their shoulders in pits dug in the ground. Like all snipers he had to be in a place where his concentration was absolute.’
Only the Marine’s close circle of friends, comrades and officers know of his achievements.
US sniper Kyle was a veteran of four tours of Iraq. His shooting during battles in Ramadi and Fallujah earned him the nickname ‘al Shaitan’ or ‘the Devil’ among insurgents who put a bounty on his head. He was shot dead by a disturbed fellow Marine at a Texas rifle range two years ago.
American Sniper, directed by Clint Eastwood, has been nominated for six Oscars and has been a huge box office hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
Born in April 1974 and raised in rural Texas, Chris Kyle had worked as a cowboy before joining the elite Navy SEALS unit in 1999.
After making it through the notoriously tough selection process, Kyle was deployed to Iraq in 2003 where he made his first long-distance kills even though he had not been trained as sniper.
Spotting his obvious talent, the military sent him to SEAL sniper school, where he was taught how to perform warfare's loneliest and most controversial job.
In 2004, Kyle was posted to Fallujah, west of Baghdad and a major battleground of Iraqi insurgency, and it was during the battle for that city where he first made his mark.
However, it was in 2006 in Ramadi, a city in central Iraq, that Mr Kyle gained his nickname as 'The Legend' from his fellow SEALS.
One day, while positioned on a roof, Kyle watched a moped coming down a street. Riding it were two men, one of whom dropped a backpack into a pothole.
Realising that it contained an improvised explosive, Kyle took a shot at the speeding moped from a range of 150 yards. The bullet hit one of the riders, passed through him, and hit the other.
Kyle has been credited with saving hundreds of American lives by making 160 confirmed kills, which is the most in American military history. He claimed to have shot down 255.
In 2009, after four tours of Iraq, Kyle retired and moved to Midlothian, Texas, with his wife, Taya, and two children.
He had not only shot more of the enemy than any o
ther American sniper but had also gained himself a chestful of medals, including three Silver Stars for gallantry.
But on February 2, 2013 he and a friend, Chad Littlefield, took 25-year old Eddie Ray Routh to a remote shooting range in Glen Rose, Texas.
Before they reached the range Routh, 25, shot both men dead and stole Kyle's customised pick up truck.
Routh's family claimed he was suffering from PTSD and had mental issues. His trial on two murder charges begins on February 11.
American Sniper, the movie based on Kyle's book of the same name, has been a box office hit, but has also divided opinion, with some criticising the film's jingoistic stance.
The Clint Eastwood directed film, which was produced by and stars Bradley Cooper, has been accused of glorifying murder and serving as war propaganda, most notably by director Michael Moore.
On the same day the film hit U.S. cinemas, Moore - director of Fahrenheit 9/11 - courted controversy by slamming snipers as 'cowards' who 'shoot you in the back'
Taking to Twitter in rage, Moore seethed: 'My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders r worse.'
Actor Seth Rogen also caused controversy after tweeting: 'American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that's showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds.'
However, US First Lady Michelle Obama said the film 'touches on the emotions and experiences' of many military families.
Information From -
Daily Mail UK
