New Delhi:
A Canadian special operations sniper showcased his pedigree as an ace marksman and created a name for himself in the shooting record books after he successfully hit an ISIS fighter from a whopping distance of more than two miles away while assisting Iraqi forces in the push to retake Mosul, according to Canadian Special Operations Command.
The marksman whose identity has not been revealed was part of Canada's elite Joint Task Force 2 special operations unit that has been deployed in an "advise and assist" capacity to aid Iraqi security forces battle ISIS from behind the front line in Mosul.
"The Canadian Special Operations Command can confirm that a member of the Joint Task Force 2 successfully hit a target from 3,540 meters. For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners, we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place," the unit said in a written statement.
Due to the distance of the shot, some voices in the military community expressed scepticism at the Canadian government's report. The reported shot from 3,540 meters, or about 2.2 miles, would eclipse the previous sniper world record of 2,474 meters or 1.54 miles set by the United Kingdom's Craig Harrison when he killed two Taliban insurgents in November 2009.
The Globe and Mail first reported the shot's success and said it disrupted an ISIS attack on Iraqi forces, citing unnamed sources. "The elite sniper was using a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle while firing from a high-rise during an operation that took place within the last month in Iraq. It took under 10 seconds to hit the target," the paper said.
The Canadian military unit confirmed the distance of shot shortly after the Globe and Mail story was published, but the shot has yet to be formally confirmed a third party agency.
