Canadian sniper hits Islamic State target with record breaking kill shot

IS fighter was killed with a two-mile shot and the bullet took less than 10 seconds to travel

A Canadian sniper broke the world record for longest kill when he killed an Islamic State fighter with a two-mile shot.

"The Canadian Special Operations Command can confirm that a member of the Joint Task Force 2 successfully hit a target from 3,540 metres [2.2 miles]," the Canadian military said in a statement.



The bullet took less than ten seconds to reach the target and was done using a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle. He is a member of Canada's Joint Task Force 2, which is part of the US led coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq.

"For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners, we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place," the statement added further.

The story was reported by The Globe and Mail and said the shot disrupted an IS attack on Iraqi forces. "The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh [Islamic State] attack on Iraqi security forces," said a military source, speaking to The Globe. "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."



A military insider told The Globe, "This is an incredible feat. It is a world record that might never be equaled."

The previous world record was held by British sniper Craig Harrison who shot a Taliban militant from 1.5 miles away in 2009 using a 338 Lapua Magnum rifle.