Sniper reveals how he broke world record for longest kill

A sniper has revealed how he broke the record for the world's longest kill.

Watch him recount how it unfolded here:

Craig Harrison was serving in the British Army in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2009 when he shot and killed two Taliban machine gunners from a distance of 2,475 metres (2,707 yards).

The shots were from almost 50 metres further than the previous confirmed world record kill, which was also in Afghanistan in 2002.

Recalling how he made the shot, former Corporal of Horse Craig told LADbible: "I looked up and I could see two guys with a PKM belt-fed Russian machine gun and they were hammering down on the lads.

"It was a long way. It was 2,475 metres away, which is just over a mile and a half - and my rifle only shoots 1,500 metres.

"So I had to... I call it 'lob in'. I had to lob in, I lobbed the bullet in.

"It took me nine shots to get there, because I was bracketing - what bracketing is, is that you fire the first shot, see where it lands, add a bit more on, add a bit more on, add a bit more on, until you hit it.

"And I managed to hit the compound wall. So I fired, and I could see it just hit next to him.

"So I fired again - as I fired again, he stood up and I hit him here [points to centre of chest]. He fell backwards."

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He continued: "Then the second guy stood up and I fired a third shot, and as I fired my third shot I moved my rifle across, and I fired a fourth shot.

"So now, I've got two bullets in the air at the same time. Third one missed, fourth one hit him.

"It was 2,475 metres. I didn't know I'd broken the world record, I didn't know at all.

"I didn't know until my medals parade."

Asked if he felt proud of the achievement, Craig said: "No, not at all.

"Doing my job, trying to save 12 guys.

"That was it."

Craig - whose shots are now the third-longest confirmed kills - also opened up about his first kill, his most dangerous mission and his ongoing struggles with PTSD.

If you want to hear more about Craig's story, you can watch the full interview on the LADbible TV YouTube channel here.

Topics: Army, UK News

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey