The super sniper: Hero picks off two Taliban from a mile and a half away
By
Ian Drury
Last updated at 9:02 PM on 2nd May 2010
Hero: Craig Harrison saved his Army colleagues by killing two Taliban machinegunners from more than 1.5 miles away
An army sniper has earned a place in military history by killing two Taliban machine gunners from more than a mile and a half away.
Craig Harrison's record breaking shots felled the insurgents with consecutive bullets - even though they were 3,200ft beyond the official range of his rifle.
The Household Cavalry veteran's kills from a distance of 8,120ft beat the previous record by 150ft.
He was using the British-built L115A3 Long Range Rifle, the Army's most powerful sniper weapon.
He was so far away that the 8.59mm-calibre bullets took almost three seconds to reach their target. Scores of Taliban gunmen h-ve fallen to the gun which has been nicknamed The Silent Assassin.
It is only designed to be effective at up to 4,921ft - just less than a mile - and capable of only ' harassing fire' beyond that range.
But Corporal Harrison took his record-breaking shots after his commander and Afghan soldiers were attacked during a patrol in Helmand in November last year.
His vehicle was further back on a ridge, with his sights trained on a Taliban compound. He said: 'We saw two insurgents running through its courtyard. They came forward carrying a machine gun and opened fire on the commander's wagon.
'Conditions were perfect, no wind, mild weather, clear visibility.
'The first round hit a machine gunner in the stomach. He went straight down and didn't move. The second insurgent grabbed the weapon and my second shot hit him in the side.'
The previous sniper record, 7,972ft, was held by a Canadian soldier.
Corporal Harrison, a married father-of-one from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, killed 12 more rebels and wounded seven others. During an extraordinary six-month tour of duty he also survived a bullet that went though his helmet and a roadside bomb.
The blast broke both his arms but he was eventually able to return to duty, his accuracy unaffected.
£6,900 well spent!
Keep up the good work.
- Michael, Nottingham, 02/5/2010 23:24
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