Sniper in Action

by Charles Stronge

  The weapons systems being used by BSA forces in the Siege of Sarajevo, predominantly direct-fire weapons, and artillery at point-blank, frequently direct-fire, range, are systems which can be used with a high degree of accuracy. A sniper rifle is normally aimed at a particular person in view of the sniper. Mortars and guns used at short ranges normally fire projectiles which land quite close to where they are aimed. These are not inherently indiscriminate weapons, particularly in the case of sniper fire. If non-combatants are being killed or wounded, this occurs because the sniper intends to kill or wound them. …

  There is every indication that civilians have been deliberately targeted by snipers and by BSA artillery. As indicated in the discussion of BSA tactics, small arms and artillery have frequently been used as weapons of terror directed against the civilian population. … As a general statement … the rule of proportionality is not relevant to the sniping activities of the BSA forces and it is of questionable relevance to many of the artillery bombardments. BSA forces are deliberately targeting the civilian population of Sarajevo either as a measure of retaliation or to weaken their political resolve. Attacking the civilian population is a war crime.

  [Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts established pursuant to Security Council resolution 780 (1992)]

  OPERATION “ANACONDA”, AFGHANISTAN, 2001

  In September 2001 an event occurred of such magnitude that it would alter all geopolitical and military decisions thereafter. At 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001 American Airlines Flight 11 was flown into the 96th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. Sixteen minutes later, Flight 175 flew into the 80th floor of the South Tower. At 9:59 a.m. the South Tower collapsed, followed by the North Tower at 10:30 a.m. At 9:38 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the western side of the Pentagon. There were 246 people killed on the four hijacked airliners, one of which crashed before reaching its target. In the World Trade Center, 2602 people died, including 343 firefighters and 23 policemen who had come to the rescue. In the Pentagon, 125 people were killed. It was the greatest terrorist outrage in world history.

  Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden were quickly identified as the perpetrators and they were known to be operating from terrorist bases deep in the mountains of Afghanistan. With public opinion behind them, the American authorities were not long in coming to the conclusion that they should strike at the terrorist cells and wipe out the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The Taliban regime was given the opportunity to extradite Osama bin Laden and predictably refused. On October 7, 2001 American ships in the region and aerial forces began a campaign against the Taliban. It was the curtain raiser for Operation “Enduring Freedom.” The operation involved twenty-five jets from two aircraft carriers, fifteen long-range bombers and fifty cruise missiles.

  Special Forces snipers

  The most effective component of the U.S. response, however, would be arrival in theater of teams from Special Forces Operational Attachment A of 5th Special Forces Group. These would be followed by B and C Teams to bring the Special Forces detachment up to about three hundred men.

  Although relatively small in number, the U.S. Special Forces possessed skills, technology and weaponry that magnified their impact a hundredfold. They had laser designators, optics and global position system technology and were soon able to direct precision-guided munitions onto a selection of targets. They were an invaluable asset to the warlords and tribesmen of the Northern Alliance with whom they were allied against the common enemy, the Taliban. The Special Forces had access to a range of sniper rifles, which they used for occasional direct-fire support of the missions. These included the HK PSG-1, M40A1 and M24 standard sniper rifles and the 12.7mm (0.5in) Barrett M82A1 heavy sniper rifle. Apart from U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, other units began to be deployed, including the British SAS; Canadian Joint Task Force Two (JTF 2) and other conventional forces; Australian SASR; New Zealand SAS; French 1er Regiment de Parachutistes d’Infanterie de Marine and Detachment Alat des Operations Speciales; German Kommando Spezialkrafte (KSK) and a variety of forces from other nations.

  Canadian snipers

  Another Canadian unit in the area was the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, which fought with the scout platoon of the U.S. Army’s 187th “Rakkasan” Brigade. In the National Post it was reported:

  One member of the team, a corporal from Newfoundland, said on his first night in combat he and his partner got an Al-Qaeda machine-gun in their sights. … Crawling up into a good position, they set up their .50 caliber rifle–the MacMillan Tac-50, a weapon the corporal compares to having superhuman power in your hands. “Firing it feels like someone slashing you on the back of your hockey helmet with a hockey stick.” When he hit his first target, an enemy gunman at a distance of 1700 meters [1859 yards], he said all that ran through his mind was locating his next target. A master corporal from Ontario, the lead sniper of his three-man team, said when they first landed in the combat zone “our spider senses were tingling … It was night and we didn’t know what to expect.” By daylight, after coming under enemy machine-gun fire, he managed to ease his rifle barrel between two rocks and quickly located an enemy sniper hiding behind a small piece of corrugated steel between two trees. He guessed the distance at 1700 meters [1859 yards] and fired one shot through the metal, killing the man instantly ….

  Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) was formed in August 1914 and took the name of the youngest daughter of the then Governor-General of Canada, HRH the Duke of Connaught. With its first commander an officer of the British Coldstream Guards and in ability second only to the Royal Canadian Regiment, the PPCLI had a host of battle honors stretching through both World Wars I and II and the Korean War. The five-man sniper team of the PPCLI was led by Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale and it included Master Corporal Rob Furlong. During this mission, the team scored two record hits with the McMillan Tac-50 sniper rifle. One was at a distance of 2310m (2526 yards) and another at 2430m (2657 yards)–incredible ranges.

  HECKLER & KOCHPSG - 1

  Country of Origin Germany

  Caliber 7.62mm (0.3in)

  Overall length 1230mm (48.4in)

  Barrel length 650mm (25.6in)

  Weight 7.2kg (15.87lbs)

  A U.S. Special Forces sniper team with a Barrett M82 rifle on Shran Mountain outside Halabja on March 29, 2003. They worked alongside Peshmurga forces in a fight against Ansar al Islam, which had been terrorizing local people.

  The five Canadian snipers operated as part of a six-man cell that also included one American sniper. The cell was divided into two three-man teams, each built around supporting a single heavy sniper rifle. Every team member was qualified to use the rifle, but one man would be the primary shooter. The others acted as spotters and security most of the time.

  Master Corporal Aaron Perry was the primary shooter on his three-man team. He had previously served in Bosnia and Croatia and had an impressive record that included stints as an unarmed combat instructor and a paratrooper.

  Record-breaking shot

  In the early stages of Operation “Anaconda,” Perry’s team came under fire almost immediately after landing from their Chinook helicopter. Perry, a very large man, carried the rifle as the team sought high ground, then began to engage the enemy. Some of his targets were up to 1500m (1640 yards) away but he made such long shots, taken under fire and in difficult circumstances, look almost routine.

  The second team, containing Furlong, was in a different Chinook that had been driven off by ground fire. Arriving later, the team found a situation that seemed to be under control. Their instinct that something was wrong proved correct near dusk as the position came under mortar and direct-fire attack. Everyone sought cover, except Master Corporal Tim McMeekin, who normally served as Furlong’s spotter. McMeekin grabbed the rifle and began firing back, heedless of enemy fire. “The guy was an absolute machine,” Furlong said later.

  During th
e nine-day mission that followed, the sniper teams responded to requests for assistance from their fellow troops, lugging their heavy rifles up hills to engage enemy support weapon gunners, leaders and other high-value targets.

  During this time Perry made a record-breaking 2310m (2526 yards) shot to eliminate an enemy forward observer, reducing the threat from enemy mortars. Furlong’s 2430m (2657 yards) shot followed days later, killing an enemy machine-gunner. Upon their return to base, the snipers agreed never to reveal exactly how many lives they had taken during their mission. Thus far, the number remains unknown.

  Previously, the Canadian sniper team, working with U.S. Special Forces, had helped to relieve a company of the U.S. 101st Airborne who were pinned down by enemy fire on the first day of Operation “Anaconda.” The Canadians suppressed enemy mortars, heavy machine-gun positions and other enemy assets with telling accuracy. Apart from the obvious high level of training demonstrated by the PPCLI soldiers, the Americans were also impressed with the quality and power of the McMillan Tac-50, which mounted an even more powerful telescopic sight than was available to U.S. forces.

  Their American allies were so impressed with the performance of the sniper team that they offered to award them the Bronze Star for their actions. However, the offer was caught up in the mire of Canadian bureaucracy, with some speculating that the Canadian Government did not want to advertise the explicit nature of sniper work.

  MCMILLAN TAC-50 LONG-RANGE SNIPER RIFLE

  The McMillan Tac-50 is designed by the McMillan Brothers Rifle Company of Phoenix, Arizona. It is a rotary bolt-action rifle with dual front-locking lugs. It has a heavy match-grade barrel and a five-round detachable box magazine. In order to make the rifle easier to carry and handle, it has weight-saving design features such as a fluted barrel and fiberglass stock. The rifle is designed to be fired from a bipod. As the official Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) of the Canadian Army, the rifle is paired with a Leupold Mark IV 16x40mm LR1T Riflescope optical sight. It is also used by the U.S. Navy SEALs, with the designation Mk 15.

  Country of Origin United States

  Caliber 12.7mm (0.5in)

  Overall length 1448mm (57in)

  Barrel length 736mm (29in)

  Weight 11.8kg (26lbs)

  OPERATION “IRAQI FREEDOM”, 2003

  As part of the cease-fire arrangements with Iraq after Operation “Desert Storm” in 1991, the country had been ordered to destroy any weapons of mass destruction. Iraq, however, continued to play cat and mouse with UN weapons inspectors and by November 8, 2002 the UN expressed its impatience in Security Council Resolution 1441. It deplored “the fact that Iraq has not provided an accurate, full, final, and complete disclosure, as required by resolution 687 (1991), of all aspects of its programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles with a range greater than one hundred and fifty kilometers [932 miles], and of all holdings of such weapons.” The resolution also deplored “that the Government of Iraq has failed to comply with its commitments … with regard to terrorism … to end repression of its civilian population and to provide access by international humanitarian organizations to all those in need of assistance in Iraq.” The resolution also decided that “Iraq has been and remains in material breach of its obligations under relevant resolutions” and offered Iraq “a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations under relevant resolutions of the Council.” With no valid response forthcoming from Iraq, in March 2003 the United States and the United Kingdom declared the diplomatic process over.

  A U.S. Marine Corps corporal sites through the AN/PVS-10 day+night-vision sniper scope fixed to his 7.62mm (0.3in) Harris M-86 sniper rifle, following an incident near Al Kut, Iraq, during Operation “Iraqi Freedom.”

  A U.S. Marine sets up his 7.62mm (0.3in) M-89 multibarrel combo sniper rifle as members of his unit work to secure the town of Qalat Sukkar, Iraq, during Operation “Iraqi Freedom.”

  Task Force 20

  As the U.S. and UK built up their forces in the region, Special Forces from both countries went into Iraq on reconnaissance and search and destroy missions. They were accompanied by members of the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) paramilitary division. Task Force 20, as it was called, included snipers on the lookout for Saddam Hussein and for other leading members of the Ba’ath Party as well as senior army commanders. It will be noted that this set of priorities is very much the traditional set of priorities of the sniper. Snipers, like Special Forces operatives, magnify their power by taking out key personnel. The U.S. pinpoint attacks on certain key personnel, however, were not just limited to sniper rifles: they also used somewhat larger weapons, namely cruise missiles, targeted at palaces and headquarters where Saddam Hussein and his key officials might be residing. The only problem with this was that it did not have the endorsement of the United Nations and that, under International Law, the invasion was arguably illegal.

  One of the operations performed by Task Force 20 was the attack on Saddam Hussein’s sons, Uday and Qusay, who had taken shelter in a fortified villa in Mosul. The concrete-reinforced hideout was so impenetrable, however, that armored vehicles of 101st Airborne had to be called in to use artillery and TOW missiles against the building. As this was going on, and as Delta Force soldiers entered the building, Iraqi snipers fired on the Americans. One U.S. soldier was wounded before U.S. forces managed to drive the snipers away with return fire. Both Uday and Qusay were killed in the attack.

  Snipers also provided a key element of the force tasked with the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch who had been captured after her convoy of vehicles had gone astray and run into an Iraqi ambush. Several of Lynch’s fellow soldiers had been killed during the ambush. Task Force 20 was given the prisoner-of-war recovery mission backed up by up to three hundred Rangers. U.S. Marines conducted a deception operation to keep Iraqi forces busy.

  The TF-20 sniper teams were inserted by MH-6 “Little Bird” helicopters and took up strategic positions around the hospital to provide essential fire support. After this, the assault teams were dropped on the roof and by the front door of the hospital. After about a quarter of an hour, the insertion team reappeared with Jessica Lynch on a stretcher. She was then loaded on to an MH-60K and extracted successfully to safety.

  Snipers in Special Forces operations

  Special operations in Iraq were carried out by Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-West (CJSOTF-West). The core of this unit was U.S. 5th Special Task Forces Group, including SFOD Delta, and additional strength was provided by both the British Special Air Service (SAS) and the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). In addition, Australia provided 4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (Commando), which operated under the name of Task Force 64. Essential air support was provided by U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command and by U.S. Navy SEALs of Naval Special Warfare Command. Elite U.S. army backup was provided by the 75th Ranger Regiment.

  There was speculation that a unit of the Polish Special Forces, Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego (GROM), were also involved. GROM operatives were trained as elite snipers and had access to a range of sniper rifles, including Heckler & Koch PSG-1; Mauser 86 7.62mm (0.3in); KAC SR-25; SAKO TRG-22; Accuracy International AWM-F; and PGM 8.59mm (0.338in) standard sniper rifles and the CheyTac Intervention (.408 Cheyenne Tactical chambering) and Barrett M107 anti-materiel rifles.

  As Bravo and Charlie Companies of 1st Battalion 5th Special Forces Group crossed over the Kuwaiti border into Iraq–part of the group headed towards Nukya, Habbaniya and Mudyasis–the teams began to spread out to clear a number of objectives, including the airfield at Ar Rutba, “Scud” storage facilities and so on. Outside Ar Rutba, one of the teams set up surveillance on the highways into the town but, in a similar incident to that which happened to the British SAS team Bravo Two Zero, they were compromised by Bedouins who then went off to warn the local Iraqi garrison.

  MAUSER M86

  Country of Origin Germany

  Cal
iber 7.62mm (0.3in)

  Overall length 1120mm (44in)

  Barrel length 730mm (28.75in)

  Weight 6.12kg (13.5lb) empty with Zeiss scope

  Quick Reaction Force soldiers of 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) on Operation “Bastille,” Iraq, February 19, 2003. The soldier is carrying an M4 carbine fitted with an M203 grenade launcher, side-mounted AN-PEQ2 infra-red illuminator and AN/PVS-17A mini night-vision sight.

  A U.S. Special Forces soldier trains with the Mk12 sniper rifle following the invasion of Iraq. The Mark 12 is widely used by U.S. Special Forces snipers, including the U.S. Navy SEALs and U.S. Army Rangers.

  The difference between the Bravo Two Zero and the U.S. Operational Detachment Alpha in this scenario was that the SAS were on foot while the Americans had Humvees with a considerable amount of punch. As the Iraqi Fedayeen trundled out in their vehicles mounted with DShK heavy machine guns, the U.S. Special Forces mounted an ambush, firing their 12.7mm (0.5in) M2 machine guns and 40mm (1.57in) Mk 19 automatic grenade launchers. The Iraqis temporarily withdrew but began to consolidate in prepared positions on the perimeter of the town. They also made a foray to threaten some Special Forces on a hill nearby.