Record-breaking bullet that flew for 10 seconds as sniper shot IS jihadi from TWO MILES away

A SNIPER has earned a place in military history by killing an Islamic State jihadist from more than two miles away.

The elite Canadian soldier took out the fanatic from a high-rise building during an operation in Iraq last month, it emerged yesterday.

He was so far away that the bullet took almost ten seconds to reach its target.

A military source said that the shot was taken during an IS attack on Iraqi forces.

The soldier was 2.1 miles, or 11,614ft, away from the jihadist, beating the previous British-held record of 1.5 miles.

The sniper, who cannot be named for security reasons, is part of Canada’s Special Forces, assisting Iraqi forces in the war against IS.

‘The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh attack on Iraqi security forces,’ a military source told Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper. The source added: ‘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 away, the bad guys didn’t have a clue what was happening.’

The source described the difficulty of the shot, explaining that the sniper had to account for wind, ballistics and even the Earth’s curvature.

A military insider said: ‘This is an incredible feat. It is a world record that might never be equalled.’

The soldier used a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle – so powerful it can shoot through walls. It is only designed to be effective up to 1.2 miles.

The Canadian sniper worked with a spotter, whose job is to help get an accurate shot. Spotters use binoculars and can see the target more clearly than the sniper, who uses a scope. Spotters carry a machine gun in case the militants discover their position. The pair will sometimes watch their target for hours.

The spotter is essential because he keeps the sniper up to date on the location of the target and specific details.

The sniper fires after exhaling for seven seconds – or until their lungs are empty and they are at their calmest.

Then they fire and inhale immediately. The spotter will immediately inform them if they have hit the target. If they have missed they have a few seconds to quickly adjust before they are noticed and can try to hit the target again.

The Canadian shooter is part of Joint Task Force 2, which deals with counterterrorism, sniper operations and hostage rescue. Last night a military spokesman said that the task force does not carry out patrols with leading combat troops but is there to ‘enable the Iraqi security forces who are in a tough combat mission’.

The spokesman said: ‘This takes the form of advice in planning for their operations and assistance to defeat Daesh through the use of coalition resources.’

The sniper took the title from Briton Craig Harrison, who killed two Taliban machine gunners from more than a mile and a half away in November 2009.

The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command confirmed the new record-holding sniper ‘successfully hit a target’ from 11,614ft away, beating the previous target by 3,494ft.

Corporal Harrison was using the Army’s most powerful sniper weapon, the Britishbuilt L115A3 long range rifle. It took six seconds for him to find out if his shots were successful. The Household Cavalry veteran opened fire after his commander and Afghan soldiers were attacked during a patrol in Helmand Province.

‘This is an incredible feat’