‘ONE IN A MILLION’ HIT
AN SAS sniper killed three Islamic State terrorists with a single shot.
The jihadis died as they got ready to machine-gun women and children in northern Iraq.
In what has been described as a shot in a million, a bullet fired by the elite sniper killed two men instantly. The round then ricocheted into a third.
We can reveal the shooting happened in November during a covert SAS intelligence gathering mission in a remote village.
Special forces troops were monitoring Islamic State-controlled areas as Iraqi troops advanced towards the occupied city of Mosul.
The squad was watching senior members of Islamic State inside the village when dozens of women and children attempted to escape the clutches of the vile regime.
The terrorists ordered the civilians to stop and when they refused three gunmen pointed a heavy machine gun at them from a second storey window and prepared to shoot.
The SAS team decided they had no alternative but to open fire to save the civilians.
But they knew that doing so would reveal the location of their hideout.
The British marksman was armed with a L115A sniper rifle armed with .338 Lapua Magnum bullets.
The combination can kill at a range of 1,800m and the rifle was also fitted with a suppressor to reduce noise.
The bullet struck the first terrorist PATRICK WILLIAMS in the head, killing him instantly. The same round then hit another terrorist in the chest, passed through his body, ricocheted off a wall and struck a third gunman in the neck.
All three died in the same room, with two of them killed instantly.
One source said: “The shot was one in a million. There was no way it was planned that way. The sniper aimed to take out the first gunmen and then try and kill the other two before they could open fire on the women and children.
“Alongside the sniper was an SAS spotter who was watching the target through binoculars.
“The whole incident was over in a flash. The guy manning the machine gun went down first after his head was blown off. Another terrorist collapsed and then the spotter saw the third gunman staggering around holding his neck. He lasted for about 30 seconds before he bled to death.
“No one could quite believe what had happened.”
After the shooting the SAS team moved into the village and entered the house to confirm the terrorists were dead. They also took fingerprints and photos before the unit was withdrawn by helicopter.
Our source continued: “There have been some amazing SAS kills in the past but nothing quite like that. Three killed with one shot will go down in the regiment’s history.”