British sniper 'deadlier than US hero' Chris Kyle

The front page of the Sun.

A Royal Marine with 173 confirmed kills of Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan is the deadliest sniper in the world, it has been claimed.

If correct, the unnamed Marine's toll would surpass that of Chris Kyle, the US Navy Seal whose exploits are portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film American Sniper.

The corporal, who is still serving, made the majority of his kills during a single six-month tour of Helmand province eight years ago. His actual number of kills could be far higher, sources told the Sun.

The identity of the sniper, a married father who grew up in southern England, is a closely guarded secret for fear he will become a target for terrorists.

One source told the paper: "He's very professional and humble, but with a gun in his hands this bloke is deadlier than the plague."

The Ministry of Defence refused to comment on the Marine's record. He made most of his kills during the winter of 2006-07, in the early stages of Britain's deployment to Helmand province. He was serving with the Brigade Reconnaissance Force and was armed with an L115 A3 rifle which has an effective range of more than 1km. The newspaper reported that at one point the sniper shot 90 Taliban fighters in a single day.

British Forces deployed snipers widely throughout the Helmand campaign.