A Long Shot

Paul McNamee scouted out this piece of badassery: The long  history of extraordinary Canadian combat marksmanship continues…

A Canadian soldier in Iraq has killed an ISIS militant from more than two miles away, shattering the world record for a confirmed sniper kill in military history.

According to Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper, the gun specialist from the elite Joint Task Force 2 achieved the feat with a shot from a high-rise during an operation within the past 30 days.

“The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh [Islamic State] attack on Iraqi security forces,” a military source — who requested anonymity because the unit’s operations are classified — told the paper. “Instead of dropping a bomb that could potentially kill civilians in the area, it is a very precise application of force and because it was so far way, the bad guys didn’t have a clue what was happening.”

The 3,450-meter shot, which took about 10 seconds to reach its target, was independently verified by a video camera and other data, the source said.

The sniper used the McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle, which is the Canadian military’s standard for overwatch.

For the record, three of the five longest sniper shots in modern warfare were fired by Canadians. This should not be surprising, and it’s not mere happenstance. The Canadians have a storied tradition of military sniping, dating back to the First World War, when legendary First Nations snipers Francis Pegahmagabow and Henry Norwest made their bones in the trenches of the Western Front.

The Canadians also distinguished themselves in the Second World War. And Sgt. H.A. Marshall of the Calgary Highlanders Scout and Sniper Platoon won the “Sniper Most Likely To Be Mistaken For Clark Gable” gong.

Sgt. H.A. Marshall.