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(Image: REX / GETTY)

The Islamic State terrorists were shot dead while driving towards their target in Libya.

The marksman hit the driver with a head shot from 1,000m, killing him instantly.

The bullet passed through his skull and struck the passenger in the neck. He died at the scene.

(Image: REX)

SAS insiders are already saying the long-range shot is one of the best in the elite regiment’s history.

The SAS trooper had just 20 seconds to hit his target.

Failure could have meant the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

One SAS source last night said: “It was an amazing shot. It wasn’t so much about distance but the fact that it was a moving target.

“If the sniper had missed a lot of people would have lost their lives.

“He was with the team advising the Libyans who were meant to be doing the ambush. He had little time to act.”

The shooting happened last month while members of the SAS were helping militia groups fight Islamic State.

(Image: GETTY)

The elite troops had intelligence revealing jihadis were planning to target the Libyan capital Tripoli.

The plan was to park the car bomb in a area close to a busy market with the aim of murdering crowds of shoppers.

Islamic Sate already holds Sirte, a key town on the Mediterranean coast.

It is trying to take over other areas of the country too.

(Image: NC)

The SAS unit was made up of four soldiers including the sniper and his spotter.

A Libyan agent helping the British tipped off the team that a white 1990s Mercedes with a massive homemade bomb in the boot would be heading east on the coast road at a specific time.

Sources said the SAS had been training local fighters unit and wanted them to take out the car and its driver.

The British troops placed the Libyans on a hill above the road which gave them a perfect ambush position.

But when the vehicle appeared – being driven at 30mph – they panicked and open fire too quickly, hitting the road in front of the car.

At that point the SAS sniper stepped in and opened fire with his .338 Lapua Magnum rifle.

He let off two shots to judge the car’s speed, its distance and the wind direction before going for the kill.

Our source said: “The SAS man had to react very quickly.

(Image: GETTY)

“He knew his first two shots wouldn’t hit the target but they helped him judge the distance.

“The car crashed off the road after the driver was killed and the Libyans sprayed it with machine gun fire.

“The bomb in the boot then detonated and there was a massive explosion.”

The SAS mission in Libya is top secret but over the last few months reports have emerged revealing how the Hereford-based regiment has been playing a crucial role in the war against terrorism.