Royal Marine Sniper Has More Kills Than Kyle, British Say
Monday, 02 Feb 2015 07:23 AM
By Elliot Jager
Not to be outdone, the British press is asserting that a Royal Navy Marine corporal, said to have notched up 173 confirmed kills in Afghanistan and Iraq, is actually the world's deadliest sniper.
If that count is correct, it would place him ahead of U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose story is being told in the hit Clint Eastwood-directed movie, "American Sniper," The Daily Telegraph reported.
Kyle is credited with 160 confirmed kills.
His memoir, "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" came out in 2012. Kyle was shot to death in February 2013 by a man he had befriended who was reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress.
The existence of the British sniper, whose identity has not been disclosed, was first revealed in The Sun.
The newspaper's sources said that the 173 kill figure was understated and that the actual number is considerably higher.
The sniper is said to be back in England after more than a decade of service, married and a father of two.
"He will never talk about it unless he is challenged directly, then he is never boastful of what has happened — but he is not ashamed either," the Sun was told.
"Every shot was judged and balanced, not indiscriminate. He always saw the men between the crosshairs as humans not as targets. He is not interested in scores or kill counts. He took no satisfaction in the job he had to do," sources told the Sun.
Most of the kills took place during the sniper's tours in Afghanistan in 2006-07. He is said to have hit 90 Taliban gunmen in a single day by targeting their stronghold, according to British press reports.
He would likely have been armed with a L115 A3 Alpha, reports state, which is capable of firing .338-caliber bullets over a distance of more than a kilometer or 0.62 of a mile.
The rifle can be equipped with a silencer and has an adjustable stand, according to the Daily Mail.
Some 453 British service members are known to have lost their lives in the Afghanistan War.
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