Sniper in Action

by Charles Stronge

  An Iraqi militiaman aims his AK47 sniper rifle during clashes with coalition forces in Basra on August 22, 2004.

  Patience

  In April 2007, Sergeant 1st Class Brandon McGuire of Alpha Troop, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment and his spotter companion were deployed to a Forward Observation Base at Iskandaryia in Iraq to scan the area for insurgent activity. The area had been notorious for the prevalence of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and also for a significant amount of mortar activity. Although the IEDs had by now largely been cleared, the U.S. forces certainly did not want anyone putting new ones in. Several U.S. soldiers had been either killed or wounded by these devices or by mortars.

  McGuire and his companion had taken up position in an abandoned shed and waited patiently for anything unusual to happen. At length, a man appeared, walking nonchalantly through the canals in the area. After a while, the man started digging into the side of one of the canals and then pulled out a mortar tube. McGuire quickly contacted his HQ for target permission, which he soon received. Although this was a verifiable enemy target, the range was extreme at 1310m (1433 yards). On top of this there was a crosswind of about eight or ten knots as well as an imminent sand storm, which could effectively ruin their chances. Another problem was that the target was on the move over uneven ground, meaning that the calculations were changing at every moment.

  The name of the game for snipers is patience and McGuire and his companion restrained the impulse to get off a lucky shot for about two hours. McGuire’s plan was to get a first shot off for measurement purposes, allowing his spotter to report the fall of shot, and then follow up with the killer shot. McGuire squeezed the trigger and fired. The target disappeared. After this, the problem with IEDs in the area died down, which meant no more American soldiers or civilians would be maimed or killed.

  AFGHANISTAN TODAY

  After the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) made history by invoking for the first time Article 5 of its founding charter, which provided for mutual assistance in the face of attack. After the Bonn Conference of 2001, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was set up in coordination with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the Afghan Transitional Authority. After a period of rotational forces on the ground, on August 11, 2003 NATO assumed command of ISAF, which provided stronger coordination and leadership for the mission in the face of significant odds. Although ISAF’s initial mission was to provide protection for Kabul, by October 2003 this had been extended to the whole of Afghanistan.

  ISAF’s mission was to reduce the capability of the insurgency in the country as well as training the Afghan Army and helping with reconstruction. In April 2010, there were 46 contributing nations in ISAF with a total strength of approximately 102,500 men. The country was divided into a number of regional commands in addition to HQ ISAF in Kabul. Each of the commands (Capital, North, South, West, East) had a lead nation responsible for operations in that area with the assistance of other nations. At the time of writing, Regional Command North was under German command, Regional Command East under U.S. command, Regional Command South under British command and Regional Command West under Italian command. The United States had by far the largest presence in the country (62,415), with the United Kingdom the second largest contributor (9500).

  U.S. Snipers in Afghanistan

  The war in Afghanistan is a very different combat environment from that of Iraq. Snipers in Iraq spend most of their time observing streets through the restricted viewpoint of a window or from a rooftop. Their shots are mostly at relatively short range against an enemy that can quickly disappear through a doorway or around a corner and get away.

  In Afghanistan, there is no shortage of cover but most combat is in the open, in remote areas with little in the way of urbanization. Combat ranges are longer, often beyond the distance where the average gunman or even trained soldier can shoot accurately with a typical assault rifle. As generations of British and Soviet soldiers discovered before them, U.S. forces have learned that Afghanistan is prime country for the expert rifleman, a place where ordinary soldiers are often reduced to the level of ambush targets. It is then that the specialist skills of the sniper are needed. Snipers are effective in guarding installations or ambushing enemy forces, but equally they have proven their worth as part of a field force.

  A U.S. Army sniper team from Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) scans the horizon from a concealed position in an abandoned building after reports of enemy activity in the hilltops near Dur Baba, Afghanistan, 2006. The sniper (left) is armed with an M40A3 sniper rifle, while their escort (right) is armed with an M4 carbine.

  A U.S. Navy SEAL takes up a defensive position with a FN SCAR (SOF Combat Assault Rifle) in Zabul province, Afghanistan, April 2010. The FN SCAR is a modular series rather than a single weapon. The core of the rifles remains a gas-operated, rotating-bolt system, while the stock is adjustable for comb height and length of pull. The gun can take various optical sights or rely on folding, adjustable iron sights.

  Convoy ambush

  The experiences of one U.S. Army sniper, who prefers to remain anonymous, show just how vital snipers are as part of regular operations. Snipers are often dropped off by convoys headed out to carry out a specific mission, providing overwatch until they are picked up on the way back to base. Other times they ride with the convoy and respond to any incident with their unique skills.

  The anonymous sniper was part of a convoy of U.S. and Afghan army vehicles sent out with the deliberate intent of drawing out Taliban fighters into an engagement. In due course, the convoy was ambushed from high ground on both sides of the road. As rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire hit the convoy, vehicles halted and troops dismounted to return fire.

  As was fairly common, the ambush was undertaken from fairly long range–500 meters (550 yards) or more–with the Taliban fighters shooting at the vehicles from high up in the rocks and the defenders lacking clear targets. Although their rifles were accurate at this range, most of the troops in the convoy could not hit a man-sized target at that distance, especially under the stress of combat. Neither could their enemies, but the convoy as a whole was under heavy automatic fire, creating a danger that was no less severe for being fairly indiscriminate.

  Sniper response

  The machine guns aboard U.S. Army Humvees had the range to engage the enemy, but it was the handful of snipers in the convoy who made the most effective response. Taking cover behind a bush, the anonymous sniper estimated the size of the enemy force based on a quick impression of muzzle flashes, and figured out a rough idea of the range and elevation. Shooting uphill at a barely seen enemy, the sniper took a best guess based on muzzle flash and fired. The firing from that position stopped. Another muzzle flash drew his attention so he repeated the process, and kept doing it until the fighting died down. He could not be sure if his shots had struck the target or not, but some of the enemy guns ceased firing. That was what mattered.

  Gradually the fighting died down and the enemy began to withdraw into the hills, away from the road. Spotting a promising retirement route, the sniper took a precise range with his laser rangefinder and waited. In due course a gunman appeared, walking right into a shot the sniper had already set up. He was hit in the head at over 700 meters (760 yards).

  The action ended with relatively little damage to the convoy despite the immense volume of fire going both ways. After checking the enemy bodies as best they could–most were out of reach, high in the rocks–the convoy called in air support on the withdrawing Taliban force and began to pull back, having achieved its mission aim.

  Enemy casualties were probably light in the engagement, though an air strike as the Taliban forces withdrew probably inflicted more. The U.S./Afghan force only suffered damage to vehicles. The sniper had good reason to believe that he had inflicted at the very least some wounds among the enemy in addition to his definite ki
ll.

  Long-range specialists

  Incidents like this one, and the support given to operations “Anaconda” and “Harpoon” as related elsewhere, indicate the value of including snipers within a combat force, especially in an environment like that of Afghanistan. At times the sniper may be able to change the course of an engagement or take the pressure off his comrades by eliminating an artillery observer, machine-gunner or leader. On other occasions he functions much like any other soldier, firing at the enemy wherever they are seen. In a long-range engagement, the snipers may be the only elements of a force that have any real chance of hitting the enemy without vast expenditure of ammunition. The snipers’ skills and possession of highly accurate rifles with long-range sights are far better suited to this kind of combat than the typical infantry squad armed with assault rifles. The snipers may only inflict a handful of casualties but in an inconclusive long-range firefight that might be enough to turn the engagement.

  British snipers in Afghanistan

  In September 2007 the British Special Boat Squadron (SBS) were involved in a raid to rescue two Italian intelligence officers and an interpreter who had been captured by the Taliban and taken to Farah province. The SBS worked alongside an Italian special operations unit, the plan being that the SBS would provide aerial support and cut-off operations while the Italians stormed the building.

  Two snipers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division provide overwatch security from a rooftop for local Afghan forces during a civil meeting in Dey Yak, Afghanistan, 2007. The sniper on the right is armed with a new sniper version of the M14 rifle, the Mk.14 Mod 0 EBR.

  As the Italians went in, the Taliban attempted to escape with their captives in nearby vehicles. The SBS sniper team was positioned in Westland Lynx helicopters overhead and shot out the engines of the vehicles. They then provided fire support as a Chinook helicopter landed another SBS team to cut off the Taliban and rescue the hostages. Unfortunately, one of the Italian intelligence officers was mortally wounded in the raid.

  Bravery under fire

  British and American snipers were up against a common enemy in Afghanistan. Sometimes they took the battle to the enemy and sometimes the battle came to them. In unexpected situations, high levels of training would often pay off. Lance-Corporal Oliver “Teddy” Ruecker of 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment was trained as a sniper and proved to be one of the best in the region. When he and his sniper companion Dean Bailey were ambushed by Taliban fighters in their Viking patrol vehicle in September 2008, another kind of training took over. A rocket-propelled grenade hit the Viking amidships and Ruecker got out of the burning vehicle fast. As he ran for cover, he came across a Taliban fighter shooting an AK47 into the air by way of celebration. With the skill of a Wild West gunfighter, he drew his Browning L9A1 pistol and swiftly shot the insurgent.

  At this point he realized that his mate Dean was not with him and must still be in the burning vehicle. Under heavy machine-gun and small-arms fire, Ruecker ran back to the Viking and dragged out his unconscious friend. Still under fire, he managed to pull him over to the relative safety of another Viking and they got out of the area. As a result of this action, Ruecker was awarded the Military Cross.

  As part of 11 Light Brigade, the Rifles were deployed in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. The Rifles had a distinguished history in the field of marksmanship, tracing their roots back to the sharpshooters of the Peninsular War, immortalized by Captain John Kincaid in Adventures in the Rifle Brigade and by Bernard Cornwell in the Sharpe series of books and subsequent TV series. Number 3 Company of the Rifles were located in Sangin, equipped with the L115A1 rifle. Their presence in the area coincided with the presence of a Taliban super-sniper who targeted the British snipers and scored several fatal hits. The stand-off had an uncanny resemblance to the battle between Vassili Zaitsev and the German super-sniper in Stalingrad during World War II. Things got so serious that the British drafted in the SAS and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment to track him down but this sniper knew how to get out of the way when necessary.

  To make matters more difficult, the Taliban snipers often used an intricate network of caves and tunnels, which made it easy for their snipers to evaporate when the enemy came too close. In order to counter the Taliban insurgents and snipers, the Rifles maintained a series of forward observation posts, including Forward Observation Post Jackson where the fire support team were emplaced with L115A sniper rifles, machine guns, Javelin missiles and advanced observation equipment.

  Sniper hunting

  In Helmand Province in 2010 snipers of the reconnaissance platoon of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards went out to track down some Taliban snipers who had already killed the company sergeant-major. This loss provided an extra edge to their determination. They were equipped with the Accuracy International L115A1 rifle, firing 8.59mm (0.338in) Lapua, a rifle once restricted to Special Forces but now increasingly available to regular sniper units.

  As they were confronting snipers, the Guardsmen knew that they were targets themselves and that they would need to employ all their training in covert movement if they were to remain alive. They were out seeking their targets before first light and were in position by 5:00 a.m. Apart from their regular equipment, the Guardsmen had a target indicator for the Javelin missile system as a backup. They waited patiently, as snipers do, until at about 8 o’clock when they began to notice some movement. There was one insurgent sniper on a roof, which one of the Guardsmen managed to eliminate. The Javelin system provided a target indication for the second sniper, who was also then dispatched.

  Helmand firefight

  Snipers provided essential cover for 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards as they took part in Operation “Lion’s Leap” when they were inserted by Chinook helicopter deep into enemy territory to establish dominance in the area and to provide the basis for building relationships with the local people and reconstruction. Near Babaji, No. 1 Company of the Coldstream came under fire and it is in scenarios such as these that the sniper team can provide essential fire support.

  The snipers of Fire Support Company, 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh found themselves in a firefight with enemy insurgents near Shahzad in the southwest of Helmand province. The Welsh snipers had been tasked with providing protection for an Army Bomb Disposal team near a compound, but as they approached their location they came under fire from insurgents in the area.

  L115A3 RIFLE

  This rifle formed part of the British Army Sniper System Improvement Program (SSIP). The heavier caliber and 8.59mm (0.338in) Lapua round provided extra range and stability enhanced by day/night all-weather optical sights.

  The rifle features a folding stock, which makes it easier to transport the weapon. The back of the stock is fitted with a cheek piece. The rifle is fitted with a folding bipod, which can be deployed to provide essential stability, and has an effective range of 1100m (1203 yards). At the end of the barrel, it is fitted with a suppressor that reduces both flash and noise signature. The rifle has a five-round magazine.

  Country of Origin United Kingdom

  Caliber 8.59mm (0.338in)

  Overall length 1300mm (51in)

  Barrel length 686mm (27in)

  Weight 6.8kg (15lbs)

  British Royal Marines train with the Accuracy International L115A3 rifle, one of them using an improvised tripod. Carrying cases for the rifles lie alongside.

  LONG-RANGE SNIPER RECORD

  Snipers influence the course of a conflict the most when they eliminate high-value targets, or protect their own side’s key personnel. Two British snipers recently demonstrated both sides of this coin in Afghanistan, eliminating and rescuing senior personnel respectively.

  Corporal Christopher Reynolds’ contribution to the war in Afghanistan was to kill a Taliban warlord known as Mula. Senior commanders and insurgent leaders generally try to stay some distance away from the fighting, and even when they are in the field, opportunities to eliminate them are likely to be few and fleeting.
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br />   Reynolds’ unit was involved in heavy fighting, but this did not prevent him taking up position on a roof and remaining there for three days awaiting a suitable opportunity. Finally, he noticed a group of Taliban personnel in the distance, which appeared to include a prominent leader.

  This individual gave away his status in ways any sniper would recognize; pointing, giving orders that were seen to be obeyed, and using a radio. Realizing that this was someone important, Corporal Reynolds decided to shoot him and began calculating range and wind speed.

  Reynolds’ first shot, at a range of 1853 meters (2026 yards), went a little wide. The warlord did not apparently realize he was under fire, so Reynolds recalculated and fired again. His weapon was not pointed at the target but at a nearby door frame to compensate for trajectory variations cased by the wind. The Taliban leader was hit in the chest and killed; his comrades scattered and fled.

  “The second insurgent grabbed the weapon and turned as my second shot hit him in the side. He went down, too. They were both dead.”

  Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison

  During the same engagement, another member of Reynolds’ force demonstrated the risks facing snipers when he used a Javelin missile launcher–normally an anti-tank system–to eliminate an enemy marksman. Only a high-value target like a sniper would justify the expenditure of such a weapon.

  Record-breaking hit

  Perfect environmental conditions, including thin air and no wind, allowed Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison to rescue his troop commander in November 2009. With the commander’s vehicle stuck in difficult terrain and under small-arms fire, Harrison decided to intervene. This required a prodigious shot that greatly exceeded the 1500 meters (1640 yards) effective range of his L115A3 long range rifle.