Kurdish Sniper Battery In Syria
There is an interesting video on LiveLeak (embedded below) showing Kurdish snipers in North Syria clearing out an al-Qaeda-linked rebel group from a Kurdish village. The four snipers are using identical .50 caliber rifles that are either completely hand made or at least partially hand made.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c0b_1379250525
The first sniper in the video has very little training. It looks like he is flinching, standing on his toes, not following through on the shot, has trouble cycling the bolt, can’t handle the recoil and has the rifle barrel rested on the tree rather than the handguard (which will mess with the accuracy). The next two snipers are also resting their rifle barrels on the trees, but they are more proficient in handling the rifle and are following through on their shots. The last sniper in the line looks far more experienced than the rest of them and is shooting using the bipod.
None of them are using ear or eye protection, but in one shot you can see ear protection sitting unused. I think they look off their protection to look more manly for the propaganda footage.
According to the video description (also propaganda) they managed to clear out the village, killing most of the rebels …
Western Kurdistan’s People’s Defense Units (YPG) have launched “Martyr Dilovan and Aleppo Martyrs” operation in Tal Abyad (Girê Spî) as part of the “Şehîd Çekjin Revolutionary Operation” they started early September in response to the attacks of al-Qaeda linked Islamist gang groups fighting against them.
YPG fighters have attacked the headquarters of the gang groups deployed in the Susik village, 10 km away from Tal Abyad, at around 2 a.m. last night. YPG took the control of the village where 60 members of the gang groups were killed and two others taken captive in the operation which lasted till early hours of the morning. Kurdish fighters also seized six vehicles and ammunitions of the jihadist armed groups.The Susik village is the third one YPG has cleared of gang groups since the beginning of the revolutionary operation.
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Go Kurds. Many of them dont have Russia backing them like Assad or Obama backing the murderous rebels. But they are resourceful may the protect there people from the Sunni terrorist scum of the earth
Per Paragraph 3 of the article, we need to remember that the majority of young Kurdish fighters have had to learn the hard way via "the school of hard knocks" without the benefit of prior firearms experience or military training. Given the chance --- and if they survive long enough --- they will learn accordingly and probably become as proficient as anyone else, perhaps more so. Also, they have to make do with what they have, not always the easiest thing in the world to do when being subjected to the shifting exigencies and constant pressures of an unstable situation.
What is definitely not in question is their spirit concerning what they believe in, regardless of politics, circumstances or whether one agrees with them or not. Come to think of it, the same applies to many of the diverse factions of the Syrian uprising, some of whom are agreeable to the West, and some others who might not be. Situations like this are incredibly complex and dynamic, and we have to be very circumspect as to whom we decide to cast our lot with. The lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq ( including the experiences of others who were there before us ) should not be forgotten.