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More than two dozen Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 6th IA Division participate in a marksmanship course at Forward Operating Base Constitution, July 31. Photo by Sgt. Philip Schratwieser, 1st Infantry Division. BAGHDAD — U.S. snipers and squad-designated marksmen helped Iraqi Soldiers improve their combat marksmanship skills here at Forward Operating Base Constitution, July 25 - 31. During the week-long course, the Iraqi Soldiers split their time between the classroom and live-fire training on the shooting range."Trying to communicate what we expect of them is the biggest problem," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Lynch, lead sniper with the 2nd Battalion, 112th...

MARTINEZ, Calif. -- Two men have been charged with 85 counts of assault with a deadly weapon or vandalism in connection with a series of highway shootings in Fremont over the last month, according to Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Danielle London. London said Shawn Phillip Wagner of Mariposa and Rojelio Samuel Gomez of Fremont, both, 21, are scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court in Fremont. California Highway Patrol Sgt. Trent Cross said authorities believe that Wagner and Gomez used a pellet gun in numerous shootings on Interstate Highway 680 between Mission Boulevard...

Note: Photo included. April 19, 2009 Iranian snipers wearing their full camouflage kit marched in the Army Day parade outside Tehran yesterday. They were addressed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who praised them for preserving the region’s stability and security.

How does a small gang of lightly armed Somali pirates hijack a modern cargo ship? Speed and weaponry, mainly. Modern pirates, whether off the coast of Somalia or in the crowded shipping lanes of southeast Asia, typically use fast speedboats to zoom up to the sterns of slow-moving cargo ships. They then toss grappling hooks up to the rails and climb up ropes to clamber on deck. Pirates are generally armed with assault rifles and, increasingly, rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Modern ships' crews are usually unarmed for a number of reasons, among them laws that prevent armed vessels from docking in...

The operation to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips involved dozens of Navy SEALs, who parachuted from an aircraft into the scene near dark Saturday, landing in the ocean. The SEALs were part of a group of Special Operations forces involved in the effort, according to military officials. The SEALs set up operations on the USS Bainbridge, which had been communicating with the four pirates via radio and had used smaller boats to make deliveries of food and water to their lifeboat. Yet the pirates were growing increasingly agitated, the officials said. At one point Saturday, the pirates opened fire on one...

Sorry libs. Obama did not give the direct order to kill the Somali pirates. You'll have to wait another day for the cut-and-runner to earn his hero badge. Blackfive has the real story: I just finished listening to the press conference w/ ADM Gortney about the rescue of Captain Phillips. At the time it happened the USS Bainbridge was towing the lifeboat to calmer waters as the sea state was deteriorating. One of the pirates was on board the Bainbridge as the talks about obtaining Phillip's release continued. The lifeboat was approx. 25 m behind the Bainbridge when snipers on...

I just finished listening to the press conference w/ ADM Gortney about the rescue of Captain Phillips. At the time it happened the USS Bainbridge was towing the lifeboat to calmer waters as the sea state was deteriorating. One of the pirates was on board the Bainbridge as the talks about obtaining Phillip's release continued. The lifeboat was approx. 25 m behind the Bainbridge when snipers on the fantail observed one of the pirates in the pilot house of the lifeboat pointing an AK-47 at the back of a tied up Phillips and the other two pirates on board were...

US Navy snipers killed three Somali pirates who had been holding an American merchant skipper on a lifeboat last night, rescuing the hostage unharmed. The US Navy Seals opened fire from about 25 metres away under standing orders from President Obama when they saw one of the pirates pointing an AK47 at Captain Richard Phillips’s back, putting his life in imminent danger. All three pirates were killed. A fourth, who had come aboard a nearby US warship to negotiate, was taken into custody. He was reported to be as young as 16. Captain Phillips, a former Boston taxi driver who...

The Rapid Equipping Force (REF) of the United States Army has purchased wearable sniper detector systems from QinetiQ Systems for soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Deployment of the SWATS Soldier-Wearable Acoustic Targeting Systems will begin immediately and should be complete later in 2009. QinetiQ will also provide training and field support for these new systems. http://thefutureofthings.com/upload/items_icons/Army-Buys-Wearable-Sniper-D_large.jpg

Baghdad, 28 Jan. (AKI) - (By Hamza Boccolini) - A new video purportedly from Al-Qaeda in Iraq urges Muslims to become snipers in order to avenge the Palestinian deaths caused by Israel's three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip. The 30 minute documentary, entitled "From the Islamic State: Dedicated to Gaza, the courageous," underlines the military and religious aspect of a sniper in Islam. It begins by showing images of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, while images of Arab heads of state are seen cheering after a raid. The aim of the video - produced by production house al-Furqan - is...

Note: The following text is a quote: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE No. 20090118-07 Jan. 18, 2009 ISF captures suspected sniper team in northeast Baghdad Multi-National Division – Baghdad UR, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces thwarted an attack on a U.S. military patrol in northeast Baghdad Jan. 17. Elements of the 1st National Police Division, and 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, worked together to detain a suspected sniper team that was targeting an American forces on patrol in the Haay Ur neighborhood of northeast Baghdad. “The actions of our ISF partners saved at least one, and probably several, U.S. Soldiers...

Snipers or assassins could be spotted in their nests before even firing a shot thanks to laser surveillance technology to be unveiled in Britain. European and U.S. companies are accelerating research into anti-sniper defences in response to threats in Afghanistan and Iraq and at home. But most systems use acoustic or thermal sensors that depend on waiting for the first shot. An alternative developed by the European aerospace group EADS aims to warn of attack and pinpoint the sniper before he pulls the trigger by bouncing light off his telescopic sight. 'It is the same principle as 'cat's eyes' in...

The most powerful woman in the world. So Hillary Clinton will become with the dawn of a new White House. Madam Secretary of State. A strong hand in a velvet glove, extended to the globe on behalf of the most anticipated presidency in generations. Short of Barack Obama, no American today­ has a greater opportunity to shape international history than does New York’s departing ­junior U.S. senator. And, short of Barack Obama, no American played a greater role last year in influencing the choice of the 44th President of the United States. Clinton galvanized 18 million voters and made her...

We're now entering the final phase of an outgoing administration. And during this phase, George W. Bush, mere mortal but still president, has the practically supernatural ability to grant pardons. This endows him with the power of life over death, of clemency over conviction. For one month more, President Bush will be able to right wrongs, show mercy and restore faith. For one month more, he will have the opportunity to pardon Sgt. Evan Vela, now serving 10 years in a military prison for what a court martial called "murder" but what I, along with many, many Americans, call war.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128941 'Ceasefire' Over, Gaza Terrorists Add Sniper Fire to Arsenal by Hana Levi Julian (IsraelNN.com) The firing at farmers in the field is the final piece of evidence on the end of the 'calm' Gaza terrorists began the first official day after the end of the so-called "temporary ceasefire" early Friday morning with the usual barrage of Kassam rockets aimed at the western Negev. The attacks began at the usual hour, approximately 7:30 a.m., when Jewish children are walking to school and their parents and other adults are on their way to work, thus maximizing the chances of the missiles...

PHOENIX, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Muslim leaders in Arizona have drawn increased scrutiny from federal officials in the past year because of a string of suspicious incidents, officials say. Although no one in the state has been accused of supporting terrorists, one Mesa, Ariz., man was charged with lying to the FBI during the terror financing investigation into a Muslim charity accused of funneling money to the Palestinian group Hamas, The Arizona Republic reported Sunday. Also drawing attention to Arizona Muslims was a target-shooting episode in Phoenix that involved a large group of Muslim men and boys firing hundreds of...

Israeli security and the American Secret Service on Wednesday decided to cancel visiting US presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s scheduled visit to the Gaza border region for fear of Palestinian snipers.

Seven British soldiers were shot in Basra last year by the same sniper rifle, the Ministry of Defence has revealed. The troops were picked off one by one on the streets of the southern Iraqi city by a weapon firing high-velocity American-made bullets. Rifleman Aaron Lincoln, 18, Kingsman Danny Wilson, 28, Kingsman Alan Jones, 20, Corporal Rodney Wilson, 30, Rifleman Paul Donnachie, 18, and two others who have not yet been named, were all killed by bullets from the same weapon, said a spokesman for the MoD. But he could not verify that a single gunman was responsible. Rifleman Lincoln,...

On a mountain ridge in Afghanistan in June 2005, on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban commander, the four Navy SEALs were discussing ... the American media. Three shepherds, including a 14-year-old, had crossed their path, and the SEALs had to decide what to do: kill them, or let them go and risk exposure to Taliban forces. On elevated ground near Iskandariyah, Iraq, two years later, American snipers faced the same dilemma: kill or release two civilians who had discovered their hideout, Genei Nesir Khudair al-Janabi and his 17-year-old son, Mustafa.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- State police say a sniper wounded two people and hit at least four cars on Interstate 64 near Afton Mountain this morning. The injuries were not life-threatening and the victims were treated and released from Augusta Medical Center. More than 20 miles of I-64 was closed between Charlottesville and Waynesboro from shortly after midnight until about 6:20 a.m. State troopers, Charlottesville police and Albemarle County deputies are searching wooded areas along the interstate, but no suspect has been found.

BAGHDAD — As a military court prepares to try the last of three U.S. snipers on murder charges, the soldiers have accused their commanding officers of pushing to expand rules of engagement to produce more "kills" and then abandoning them when they were accused of murder.

October 9, 2007: The British Army is replacing most of its 3,000 7.62mm L96A1 sniper rifles with one modified to use the .338 (8.6mm) Lapua Magnum caliber round. The Accuracy International "Super Magnum" rifle is basically a L96A1 "Arctic Warfare" rifle modified to handle the larger, 8.6mm Lapua Magnum round. The new rifle (the L118A1) weighs 15 pounds (without a scope), is fifty inches long and has a 27 inch barrel and a five round magazine. Snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, have been calling for a longer range round, but find the 12.7mm (.50 caliber) weapons too heavy. The...

BAGHDAD -- Here they were, hardened combat soldiers, grounded on a military base far from the palm groves, canals and marshes where they once prowled. But at least for a moment this week, they were still the Painted Demons, the elite sniper unit that struck fear in the so-called triangle of death south of Baghdad. That couldn't be taken away: not by breaking them up, as the Army had done, and not even by the murder trials of three of their members at Camp Victory. snipInterviews and court transcripts portray a 13-man sniper unit that felt under pressure to produce...

BAGHDAD - A military panel on Saturday sentenced an Army sniper to five months in prison, a reduction in rank and forfeiture of pay for planting evidence in connection with the deaths of two Iraqi civilians.

BAGHDAD - A military panel Friday acquitted U.S. Army Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval on charges he killed two unarmed Iraqis, but it convicted him of planting evidence on one of the men in attempt to cover up the shooting. Sandoval, 22, of Laredo, Texas, had faced five charges in the April and May deaths of two unidentified men. He was found not guilty of the two murder charges, but the panel decided he had placed a detonation wire on one of the bodies to make it look as if the man was an insurgent.

Spec. Jorge Sandoval lay face down in the foot-high grass, staring through his sniper rifle scope at the Iraqi man holding a rusted sickle. The man had crouched down, only his head was visible. Sandoval's spotter, Staff. Sgt. Michael Hensley, relayed the order to kill. On April 27, in dangerous terrain south of Baghdad, Sandoval pulled the trigger to fire a bullet hundreds of yards into the man's skull, killing him instantly. Moments earlier, the man, according to testimony and court documents, had been fleeing an attack on U.S. soldiers and was holding the sickle to masquerade as a farmer....

WASHINGTON - Army snipers hunting insurgents in Iraq were under orders to "bait" their targets with suspicious materials, such as detonation cords, and then kill whoever picked up the items, according to the defense attorney for a soldier accused of planting evidence on an Iraqi he killed. Gary Myers, an attorney for Sgt. Evan Vela, said Monday his client had acted "pursuant to orders." "We believe that our client has done nothing more than he was instructed to do by superiors," Myers said in a telephone interview. Myers and Vela's father, Curtis Carnahan of Idaho Falls, Idaho, said in separate...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Sept. 17 — From his position about 100 yards away, Master Sgt. Troy Anderson had a clear shot at the Afghan man standing outside a residential compound in a village near the Pakistan border last October. When Capt. Dave Staffel, the Special Forces officer in charge, gave the order to shoot, Sergeant Anderson fired a bullet into the man’s head, killing him. In June, Captain Staffel and Sergeant Anderson were charged with premeditated murder. On Tuesday, in a rare public examination of the rules that govern the actions of Special Operations troops in Afghanistan, a military hearing...

FORT COLLINS, Colo., Aug. 13, 2007 – Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Keil volunteered for his first tour in Iraq. Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Keil and his wife, Tracy, were the guests of honor at American Military Family's "Hoedown for Heroes" tribute event held at the Larimer (Colo.) County Fairgrounds on Aug. 11, 2007. While he was on a second tour in Iraq, Matt was hit by a sniper's bullet, which left him a quadriplegic. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. His decision had less to do with making sure he was in the thick...

Getting killed left and right by snipers all of the time. I get killed by them more than any other soldier on the battlefield. Not riflemen, not machine gunners, not bazookamen or tanks, but snipers. The scourge of the battlefield! And to make matters worse, I lost one of the best opponents I ever had on the battlefield because Microsoft had banned him from Microsoft Live for using a modified console.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., June 22, 2007 — A good friend will share the good times with you, but a great friend will share your bad ones. Lance Cpl. Juan A. Valdez, a Boston native and mortarman with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, had what may be the greatest friend of his life at his side during one of his greatest times of need. A Purple Heart Medal ceremony was held here June 8, 2007, to decorate Valdez for wounds he suffered during actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While on a...

Read email before watching video These are some examples of the fight in Afghanistan.. These video shots are not made through the shooter's telescopic sight... they are made looking through the spotter's scope. The spotter lies right next to the sniper and helps the sniper to find and home in on the target. The sniper is using a 50 caliber rifle. A 50 cal. round is about 7-8 inches long and the casing is about an inch in diameter. The bullet itself is one-half inch in diameter and roughly one and one-half inches long. Pay close attention to the beginning...

THEY had been waiting since before dawn, dug into a makeshift hide, almost half a mile behind enemy lines. The four Royal Marine Commando snipers sat huddled in the dark, scouring a Taleban compound through the scopes on their L96A1 sniper rifles. They had been watching the target since before dawn. The order to fire came an hour after first light. They levelled their bolt-action, single-shot rifles at two Taleban sentries less than 250 metres away. Village dogs were barking but the insurgents never saw their killers. The marines counted down from five, in unison, and the crack of four...

U.S. intelligence agencies have built their own version of the famous Russian-designed AK-47 assault rifle for use by American snipers in Iraq. The snipers are firing at one form of deadly insurgent and terrorist attack, the so-called "spray and pray" method used by those who try to sow terror by emerging from hiding and firing a machine gun randomly into crowds. The special U.S. snipers have used .50-caliber long-range rifles for killing terrorists. Now, they are using the modified AK-47s to kill insurgents without a normal shot to the head. Instead, snipers are killing insurgents with shots to the heart,...

RAMADI, Iraq -- Spc. Brent Everson was just a few steps from safety. The 22-year-old from Florence, Mont., was climbing out of a tank, near the entrance to a U.S. outpost called Sword when a sniper's 7.62-millimeter bullet hit him just above his Kevlar vest, tearing into his shoulder and through his back. He fell back into the tank -- wounded but alive. On the roof of the outpost, Army gunners returned fire. But the sniper probably already was gone. "This guy knew what he was doing," said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Gann, who like Everson is assigned to Company C...

CNN's decision to air a video showing snipers targeting U.S. troops in Iraq provoked both rage and praise yesterday, with some calling it a brave move by the cable network and others labeling it a propaganda coup for terrorists. “This is nothing short of a terrorist snuff film,” said Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad. “I think CNN should recognize it made a terrible mistake and pull it.” Bilbray, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asking him to yank any CNN reporters embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq. “They don't deserve...

Homeland Security panel also says traffickers are forming ties with U.S.-based gangs The U.S. Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies at the U.S.-Mexico border are outgunned by increasingly ruthless and well-armed Mexican drug cartels, a new congressional report concludes. "The cartels use automatic assault weapons, bazookas, grenade launchers and improvised explosive devices," the House Homeland Security oversight subcommittee report said. "In contrast, U.S. Border Patrol agents are issued 40-caliber Beretta semiautomatic pistols." The report, scheduled to be released today by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, said drug cartels are able to break the encryptions on Border Patrol and sheriffs'...

The new RedOwl “sniper detection and surveillance” robot is a remote, deployable sensor suite designed to provide early warning information, gunshot detection, intelligence, surveillance and targeting capabilities to military and government agencies. RedOwl is a program led by Boston University with iRobot, Insight Technology and BioMimetic Systems, a Boston U spinout company. The RedOwl equipped PackBot has been field-tested for the Army at a rifle and trapshooting range. The RedOwl robot also employs a suite of advanced optics including a thermal camera, 300X zoom daylight/infrared camera, infrared laser illuminators, a rangefinder, high intensity white driving light, and voice communication microphones...

"Approx. 1145 on 16 June, sniper section 4 observed black opal with tinted windows, sitting in front of storefront...."

Scout Snipers Break in New Rifles Ft. A.P. Hill, VA. - Scout Snipers from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment, fired their new rifles for the first time on a range here today. The BLT Marines will use the new MK-11 semi-automatic sniper rifle simultaneously alongside the bolt-action M40A3, a descendent of the Vietnam-era M40. The rifle resembles an M-16 on first glance, and Sgt. Gerald V. Gavin, Scout Sniper Platoon commander, said the resemblance can benefit operations on today's urban battlefields. Gavin said the distinct look of the M40A3 makes identifying a...

Former ‘Magnificent Bastards’ react to sniper rifle recovery June 21, 2006; Submitted on: 06/22/2006 03:34:58 AM ; Story ID#: 200662233458 By Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva, 1st Marine Division CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (June 21, 2006) -- Call it a little bit of justice. Marine snipers from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment shot and killed an insurgent sniper and spotter preparing to shoot at passing Marines, June 16. And the insurgents were going to use a stolen Marine sniper rifle for the attack. That rifle – an M-40A1 – belonged to the “Magnificent Bastards” of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, a battalion...

The sniper's plan: kill six whites a day for 30 days By Harry Mount in New York (Filed: 25/05/2006) One of the two snipers who murdered 10 people in a killing spree that terrorised Washington has revealed their plans to kill hundreds of children, policemen and rescue workers in an attempt to shut down cities across the country. John Allen Muhammad, 45, and his accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, 21, brought America's capital to a standstill in 2002 as they picked off white targets at petrol stations and shops in the city's prosperous suburbs. Muhammad: ‘a coward’ Malvo testified that Muhammad,...

Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company® “Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company ” Rated: TVPG Running Time: 120 Minutes Genre: Movies Closed Captions: Yes Upcoming Airings: Thursday, May 25 @ 9pm/8C Friday, May 26 @ 1am/12C Saturday, May 27 @ 8pm/7C Sunday, May 28 @ 12am/11C Sunday, May 28 @ 1pm/12C Monday, May 29 @ 8am/7C Monday, May 29 @ 2pm/1C Saturday, June 03 @ 11am/10C Search for other upcoming episodes Featuring candid interviews and never-before-seen video, we tell the story of the hardest hit combat unit of the Iraq war. Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, a...

McLEAN, Va. (AP) - A man accused of plotting to assassinate President Bush was indicted Thursday on additional charges that could bring life in prison, and prosecutors now say he also planned to establish an al-Qaida cell in the United States. Prosecutors say Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 24, of Falls Church joined al-Qaida in 2002 while studying in Saudi Arabia and that he discussed possible terrorist operations, including a plot to kill Bush either by shooting or by a suicide bombing.Prosecutors also allege Abu Ali discussed plans to assassinate members of Congress and to hijack aircraft and fly them into...

Israel, Palestinians Must Outlaw Children Toy GunsBy Joel Leyden Israel News AgencyJerusalem----February 18.....Nothing can be more tragic than to witness a child die. Whether from cancer or a car accident, a young son or daughter should naturally live out their lives for many decades. But for children living in a war zone, death has become a way of live - and it shouldn't. For 12-year-old Mujahed Al Samadi, life ended quickly with a bullet to his chest from an Israel Defense Forces sniper who mistook his toy gun for the real thing. Was the IDF soldier wrong in pressing the...

Soldiers in first platoon "Choppin' Charlie" Company, captured a sniper near Samarra, Iraq, Monday. Some of the soldiers involved pictured left to right: Sgt Jimmy Sutton, Spc. Juan Villanueva, Cpl. Jason Kugler, Pvt. First Class Michael George, First Lt. Richard Hawkins, Pvt. First Class Jeffery Walker, Pvt. First Class Rick Monnig and Spc. Joseph Vanhook. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Cassandra Groce Soldiers Take Out Snipers in Salah Ad Din Rakkasan platoon kills one sniper and detains another while on patrol. By Pfc. Cassandra Groce 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment SAMARRA, Iraq, Jan. 18, 2006 — One sniper was...

Crack shots capable of hitting targets a kilometre away headed for Afghanistan CFB DUNDURN, Saskatchewan - A loud hiss bursts from the silencer of an oversized rifle. A visible ripple moves through the air at twice the speed of sound and there is a loud clang as a bullet strikes a metal target 1,150 metres away. In the gently rolling hills of central Saskatchewan, 14 young soldiers are learning how to be world-class killers. Anyone on the receiving end of one of these snipers' .50 calibre bullets would never know what hit him. No one else will know where the...

Early on a warm summer morning, a few hours before traffic began to fill the streets, a 16-man SAS patrol took up ambush positions around a Baghdad house, writes Sean Rayment. The soldiers had been told that the house was a being used as a base by insurgents - and up to three suicide bombers were expected to leave it later that morning. Dressed in explosive vests, they were fully equipped to hit a number of locations around the city. The bombers' targets were thought to be cafes and restaurants frequented by members of the Iraqi security forces. The intelligence...

In the Military Alphabet, AWR is Alpha Whiskey Romeo. In Iraq today, it’s a code term of American soldiers. Whenever they use “AWR” or “Alpha Whiskey Romeo” in their communications, everyone knows what it really stands for: Allah’s Waiting Room. That’s what our soldiers have turned Iraq into for the terrorists, and that’s why our soldiers know they are winning this war. That’s also why our soldiers have more contempt for MSM journalists and Democrat politicians than the Jihadi terrorists — for at least the terrorists are honest about being an enemy, instead of pretending they’re on your side while...

Snipers have long had a major effect on the battlefield, often scoring kills from as far as a kilometer and forcing the enemy to be cautious and hesitant. Ortek, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, however, is making snipers even deadlier with a new piece of technology: A Sniper Coordination System. Snipers have often operated individually on the battlefield – lone wolves with a long reach, capable of decapitating larger units and demoralizing them. The Sniper Coordination System will allow a commander to coordinate the activities of as many as four sniper teams. The system is a lightweight image splitter used...