Monday, 2 February 2015

British Royal Marine is world's deadliest sniper

A Royal Marine has been revealed as the world's most lethal military sniper.
The Briton is understood to have recorded most of his 173 confirmed kills during tours of Afghanistan in 2006/7 and has also served in Iraq.
Most of his killings took place during a six-month tour of Afghanistan and he is said to have hit more than 90 Taliban fighters in a single day, according to The Sun.
His reported death toll puts the corporal, said to be married and from southern England, ahead of US Navy SEAL commando Chris Kyle, who had 160 confirmed kills to make him the most lethal US sniper.
However, sources told the newspaper the British marine's figure of 173 is "conservative", with unconfirmed killings believed to take his total even higher.
The sniper, who has not been named, is understood to have served in the Royal Navy's elite unit for more than a decade.
"He is not interested in scores or kill counts," a source told the Sun. "He took no satisfaction in the job he had to do.
"Because he saw the enemy as humans, he has not struggled emotionally or psychologically with what has happened.
"He had a unique job at a unique time. He must be the most lethal sniper in the world. But that is not a title he would seek out or revel in."
Kyle's exploits are the subject of a new film called American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper.
The Hollywood biopic of Kyle, who was killed in 2013 on a shooting range in the US, has been nominated for two Oscars.
It has been a hit at the US box office, making £166m ($249m) in only three weeks of cinema release.
Many commentators have suggested the popularity of the film in the US market can be attributed to an appetite for "patriotic" war dramas.
However, the Clint Eastwood-directed film has faced criticism that it glorifies murder and serves as war propaganda.
Leading the criticism of the film was Michael Moore, the Left-wing film-maker, who said that his own uncle had been killed by a Japanese sniper in the Second World War.
He described them as "cowards" who did not "believe in a fair fight". But his remarks were disputed by many veterans, who pointed out that snipers often operate behind enemy lines with only limited chance of back-up if their cover is blown.
America's First Lady, Michelle Obama, was among those to defend American Sniper against claims of glamorising violence and Islamophobia.

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