Editing Sniper (section)

==Irregular and asymmetric warfare==
{{Main|Irregular warfare|Asymmetric warfare}}
[[File:Georgian sniper during South Ossetia war.jpg|right|thumb|A Georgian sniper in the [[Georgian-Ossetian conflict]] (2004)]]

The use of sniping (in the sense of shooting at relatively long range from a concealed position) to murder came to public attention in a number of sensational U.S. criminal cases, including the [[University of Texas tower shooting|Austin sniper incident]] of 1966 ([[Charles Whitman]]), the [[John F. Kennedy assassination]] (Lee Harvey Oswald), and the [[Beltway sniper attacks]] of late 2002 (Lee Boyd Malvo). However, these incidents usually do not involve the range or skill of military snipers; in all three cases the perpetrators had U.S. military training, but in other specialties. News reports will often (inaccurately) use the term sniper to describe anyone shooting with a rifle at another person.<ref name="Dockery2007">{{cite book|last=Dockery|first=Kevin|author-link=Kevin Dockery (author)|title=Stalkers and Shooters: A History of Snipers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nYWZFOKFQ2gC&pg=PT170|access-date=12 July 2013|date=3 July 2007|publisher=Penguin Group US|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4406-2890-0|pages=170–171}}</ref>

Sniping has been used in asymmetric warfare situations, for example in the [[Northern Ireland]] [[The Troubles|Troubles]], where in 1972, the bloodiest year of the conflict, the majority of the soldiers killed were shot by concealed [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] riflemen.<ref name="Taylor p. 132">{{harvnb|Taylor|1997|p=132}} – "In 1971, the Provisional IRA shot dead forty-two British soldiers. In 1972, this figure rose to sixty-four, most of them killed by snipers."</ref> There were some instances in the early 1990s of British soldiers and [[Royal Ulster Constabulary|RUC]] personnel being shot with .50 caliber Barrett rifles by sniper teams collectively known as the [[South Armagh Sniper (1990–1997)|South Armagh sniper]].<ref>Jackson,
Mike (2006). ''[http://www.vilaweb.cat/media/attach/vwedts/docs/op_banner_analysis_released.pdf Operation Banner: An Analysis of Military Operations in Northern Ireland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215447/http://www.vilaweb.cat/media/attach/vwedts/docs/op_banner_analysis_released.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }}''. [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|MoD]], Army Code 71842</ref>

The sniper is particularly suited to combat environments where one side is at a disadvantage. A careful sniping strategy can use a few individuals and resources to thwart the movement or other progress of a much better equipped or larger force. Sniping enables a few persons to instil terror in a much larger regular force – regardless of the size of the force the snipers are attached to. It is widely accepted that sniping, while effective in specific instances, is much more effective as a broadly deployed psychological attack or as a force-multiplier.<ref name="RobertsSasser2004">{{cite book|author1=Craig Roberts|author2=Charles W. Sasser|title=Crosshairs on the Kill Zone: American Combat Snipers, Vietnam through Operation Iraqi Freedom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQ-s4xBvCg8C&pg=PA47|date=1 July 2004|publisher=Pocket Books|isbn=978-1-4165-0362-0|page=47}}</ref><ref name="FareySpicer2009">{{cite book|author1=Pat Farey|author2=Mark Spicer|title=Sniping: An Illustrated History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l1a-kB-1MMAC&pg=PA225|date=1 May 2009|publisher=MBI Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-7603-3717-2|pages=225–227}}</ref><ref name="Gilbert1996">{{cite book|last=Gilbert|first=Adrian |title=Sniper: Master of Terrain, Technology, And Timing, He Is A Hunter of Human Prey and the Military's Most Feared Fighter.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gq1kcSuKSLEC&pg=PA245|year=1996|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-95766-7|pages=245–247|chapter=The Sniper Today}}</ref>

===War in Iraq===
{{Main|Iraq War}}

In 2003, the U.S.-led multinational coalition composed of primarily U.S. and UK troops occupied Iraq and attempted to establish a new government in the country. However, shortly after the initial invasion, violence against coalition forces and among various sectarian groups led to asymmetric warfare with the Iraqi insurgency and civil war between many Sunni and Shia Iraqis.
[[File:Bundeswehr sniper team in position.jpg|thumb|[[Bundeswehr]] sniper team in position, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan]]
Through to November 2005 the Army had attributed 28 of 2,100 U.S. deaths to enemy snipers.<ref name="iniraq">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-07-27-insurgent-sniper_x.htm |title=Insurgent snipers sent after troops |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |first=John |last=Diamond |access-date=21 March 2008 |date=27 July 2006}}</ref> In 2006, it was claimed that one insurgent sniper, "[[Juba (sniper)|Juba]]", had shot up to 37 American soldiers.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite web |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR929648.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313004721/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR929648.htm |archive-date=13 March 2009 |title=U.S. military probes sniper threat in Baghdad |first=Paul |last=Holmes |publisher=Reuters |date= 29 October 2006 |access-date=21 March 2008}}</ref>

Training materials obtained by U.S. intelligence had among its tips for shooting U.S. troops, "Killing doctors and chaplains is suggested as a means of psychological warfare.", suggesting that those casualties would demoralize entire units.<ref name="iniraq"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pensitoreview.com/2006/10/25/iraqi-insurgent-snipers-target-us-medics-engineers-and-chaplains/ |title=Iraqi Insurgent Snipers Target U.S. Medics, Engineers and Chaplains |publisher=Pensito Review |date=25 October 2006 |access-date=21 March 2008 |first=Jon |last=Ponder |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016035152/http://www.pensitoreview.com/2006/10/25/iraqi-insurgent-snipers-target-us-medics-engineers-and-chaplains/ |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Arab Spring===
Sniper activity was reported during the [[Arab Spring]] [[civil unrest]] in Libya in 2011, both from anti-governmental<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-tripoli-weapons-idUSTRE77N6A820110824 |work=[[Reuters]] |title=Rebels share firepower as snipers menace Tripoli |date=24 August 2011 |access-date=25 February 2019 |first=Ulf |last=Laessing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824195608/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/24/us-libya-tripoli-weapons-idUSTRE77N6A820110824 |archive-date=24 August 2011}}</ref> and pro-governmental<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13191116#.Tyclmfne7lY |title=International News &#124; World News |work=[[Abcnews.go.com]] |access-date=1 April 2013 |publisher=ABC News Network |agency=ABC News Internet Ventures}}</ref> supporters, and in [[Syria]] at least from pro-government<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20120103-2012-01-04-2049-wb-en-webnews |title=Snipers are still a threat in Syria |access-date=30 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131163823/http://www.france24.com/en/20120103-2012-01-04-2049-wb-en-webnews |archive-date=31 January 2012 |work=[[France 24]] |author=Electron Libre}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ihNabl0aFgeHA3rReXvnoPepg2Xw?docId=CNG.3805822e112de64f854324c7c664eed4.331 |newspaper=AFP |title=Violence kills 29 across Syria: activists |via=[[Google.com]] |date=30 January 2012 |access-date=1 April 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125182322/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ihNabl0aFgeHA3rReXvnoPepg2Xw?docId=CNG.3805822e112de64f854324c7c664eed4.331 |archive-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> forces.