Murder Holes and Snipers
Ambushes in Afghanistan happen inside and outside the “green hell” of the countryside. A senior NATO official compared the tactics to those used by Hezbollah in Lebanon. In the cities, Taliban disguise themselves in many outfits, including women’s clothing. "This kind of strategy is very, very difficult not only for NATO in Afghanistan but also in other parts of the world." The city Taliban have created their own nightmare for Coalition and Afghan security forces in urban areas. Cleverly hidden Taliban snipers fire from inside buildings, often with impressive accuracy. In towns and cities, Taliban gunmen bored holes in the homes of sympathizers or hostages, giving snipers a direct line of fire up to 400 meters. The Taliban use camouflage and keep the holes small enough to go unnoticed from a distance.
The Taliban’s marksmanship has improved. Although U.S. trainers have struggled to increase the accuracy of ANA marksmen, the Taliban have produced excellent sharpshooters. Their use of camouflage, effective stalking, high-powered optics, and coordinated attacks have made them formidable marksmen.
One Taliban sniper was particularly deadly. In 2009, an intense struggle began, reminiscent of the famous sniper duel in Stalingrad, where elite Red Army and Wehrmacht snipers faced off in a deadly contest. A British officer was determined to find and eliminate the Taliban’s top shooter. By April 2010, this Taliban sniper had killed seven British troops over five months. The youngest among his victims was 19. “Their sniper is giving us real problems and we’ve not yet figured out how to take him out,” said a British officer. Three of the sniper's victims were British sharpshooters. Coalition leaders are convinced that Taliban snipers are being trained outside Afghanistan.
The snipers kill and wound non-combatants. One was a middle-aged, part-time postman in England who had earlier served in elite British units like the SAS. An official combat artist stationed in Afghanistan, Graeme Lothian was taking photos of military operations when a Taliban sniper shot him in his left hand in late June 2013. "The tragic thing is that he was a fine artist—his painting is his life—and he is left-handed," said his physician girlfriend.
There is one case of a Taliban sniper killing two British soldiers with a single bullet. These soldiers were on a mission to find and kill Taliban snipers, but instead, they became prey. Taliban snipers are effective in cities where they can hide more easily. Sometimes, Taliban snipers reveal their positions, which proves to be deadly mistakes. A British lieutenant explained that the Taliban place wet leaves around their firing holes so dust doesn’t escape, but sometimes it doesn’t work. “One of these guys (Taliban) used a firing hole to shoot one of my guys, so we used a guided missile to take him out.
But Coalition snipers are often the match of their Taliban counterparts. Like the best of the Taliban snipers, Coalition snipers often hit their mark at long distances and often lie in wait for days to kill their prey. In 2009, British Corporal Christopher Reynolds killed his 33rd suspected Taliban. Firing from a tiny hole at a target over 2,000 yards away, “Crackshot Christopher” shot a man who was carrying an AK-47 and who collapsed in the arms of the Taliban behind him. “Crackshot,” guffawed, he delivered a “lead sleeping pill.” “I was quite proud of that – it is the longest record kill in Afghanistan. I am going to use that fact as a chat-up line in the pub when I get back home.” He did, and it scored him a girlfriend.
