UK Special Forces Get Taliban Snipers

22.08.2010

In April this year, it was reported that the SAS were on the hunt for a Taliban sniper (Daily Mirror report) that had been targeting British troops.

Now the press is reporting that UK Special Forces (UKSF) have successfully found and taken out two two-man Taliban sniper units. On two separate occasions, UKSF found the sniper team's hideouts and called in an air strike from US warplanes, killing all inside.

It is not yet clear if the Taliban snipers killed in this UKSF operation include the same sniper from the earlier report.

One of the most common sniper rifles used by insurgents is the Soviet-designed Dragunov. The skill with which some insurgent snipers have employed such weapons has led experts to theorize that they have received specialist training or are mercenaries who have been brought in from outside Afghanistan.

photo from wikimedia commons users CAS4j / anetode | used with thanks

Further reading:
British Special Forces squad get Taliban sniper team
(Daily Mirror)
Taliban snipers who killed ten British soldiers die in air strike
(Daily Mail)

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