A few difficult shots and rumors of highly paid foreigners are sparking debate over the potential that the Taliban is farming out what Afghans aren't good at: precision shooting at distance. The very definition of a "Sniper" is being debated by Anglo-American allies, while the inexperienced in Afghan marksmanship point to the myths induced by a country long at war.
Supporting the American claims that an enemy sniper is at work in Helmand are recently released details that a single shot felled British Sapper Darren Foster allegedly from 600 yards away through a 9 inch gap in the protective glass of his guard post. If those details are true, it would certainly lend credence to stories of sniping.
The UK Daily Mail reports that rumors persist of up to three foreigners being paid tens of thousands to do the sniping. It elaborates that they may have been trained in Pakistan by Al-Qaeda, or by the Iranians.
Those familiar with attempts to train Afghans to hit a man sized target at 25 yards would necessarily discount that this threat is an Afghan, though there are certainly exceptions to any rule. It would be far more credible that this was a foreign born terrorist, if indeed, a sniper is on the loose. One may recall that al-Juba was already taken out in Iraq after a long spree there of shooting from a car, but at close distance.
The Daily Mail also reports that the British SAS have been deployed to take out the shooter, whether or not they think he qualifies as a sniper. With US Marines in the area too, he's likely to have a short life span if he doesn't leave the AO soon, but it's far more likely that the potential snipers are Al-Qaeda.
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