An SAS sniper killed an ISIS commander with just one bullet from more than a mile away

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The sniper - a sergeant veteran of the fighting in Iraq and Syria - was on a secret patrol in an ISIS-controlled area of northern Afghanistan in June. The bullet - from a huge .50 Calibre machine gun - struck the commander in the chest with such velocity that it ripped his arm and shoulder from his body, killing him instantly. Sources have said the gun will now be decommissioned and taken to SAS headquarters near Hereford as a memento. The SAS team were in armed vehicles in an area where a series of strongholds have been established by militants.

They were watching an ISIS base when they spotted the commander, who was said to be on a joint British and US “kill list”. The patrol was armed with sniper rifles, but the troops believed the only weapon that could hit the target was the huge .50 Cal Browning machine gun mounted on one of the vehicles. They then asked for permission to engage the target, which was approved by a senior officer at the Joint Special Operations Command HQ in the Afghan capital of Kabul. One source familiar with the operation said: “The .50 Cal has got a phenomenal range and is very accurate even though it is almost 40 years old.

The .50 Cal is described as having a "phenomenal range and is very accurate"

“It can be fired on single shot. The sniper fitted a special sight to the machine gun and got a spotter to estimate the wind speed. “He also took into account the heat of the day and the light. The image of his target was quite ‘watery’ because of the heat being given off from the ground. “The Islamic State commander was briefing his men and clearly liked the sound of his own voice because he was standing still for a least 20 minutes while his fighters sat on the ground in front of him." According to the Daily Star on Sunday, the killing of the ISIS commander is thought to have saved the lives of more than 20 people.

The .50 Cal has been heavily used for a number of years