A British Marine Has More Confirmed Kills Than 'American Sniper'

According to reports, a member of Britain's Royal Marines has been revealed to be the deadliest military sniper in history, with 173 confirmed kills.

That record puts the unnamed man, originally from southern England, just above the late Chris Kyle, whose 160 kills make him the deadliest American sniper ever to live.

A married father-of-two, the British Marine made most of his kills in Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007.

He is said to have taken out 90 members of the Taliban in a single day, Daily Mail reports.

The corporal still serves in Britain's military, but his identity has been kept secret to prevent him from being specifically targeted.

An unnamed individual close to him spoke of his accomplishments to Britain's The Sun.

The source said,

Only people inside the community know about his incredible contribution — but young recruits are in awe of him. He's not the sort of man to brag. He's very professional and humble, but with a gun in his hands this bloke is deadlier than the plague. He's a legend, a unique breed.

The Telegraph quotes the source as saying the sniper viewed his targets as human beings and never sought personal fulfillment in racking up kills.

His focus was remarkable, the source added, and he has never expressed shame for his service.

The source also claims the sniper isn't stricken with any emotional or psychological damage.

Much like the subject of Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper," the British Marine probably killed many more people than his confirmed record states.

Kyle once estimated that he may have killed closer to 250 people during his four tours in Iraq.

The British sniper completed at least five tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Ireland, though he was only a sniper for some of them.

His age is unknown, but according to Daily Mail, most other snipers with similar levels of experience typically make around 20 to 30 kills.

The Telegraph notes that the confirmed kills of today's snipers don't come anywhere near the records of snipers from World War II, though.

Numerous Russian soldiers are thought to have killed over 400 German troops each, and one Finnish soldier earned the nickname "White Death" by killing 505 people when his country was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939.

Citations: Royal Marine has 173 confirmed kills including 90 in just one day and most came during a six month tour of Afghanistan (Daily Mail), British Royal Marine is worlds deadliest sniper (The Telegraph)