This British sniper took out six insurgents by detonating a Taliban suicide vest

A 20-year-old Lance Cpl. of Britain's Coldstream Guards was right on target in December 2013. His quick shooting prevented a major offensive by Taliban fighters when he hit the trigger of an enemy suicide vest – with a round from his L115A3 rifle.

The UK's Telegraph reported that his unit was hundreds strong during a joint patrol with Afghan counterparts in Helmand Province, near Karakan. They came under heavy fire from a Taliban ambush. The commanding officer of the 9/12 Royal Lancers, Lt. Col. Richard Slack, did not give the name of the sniper, but acknowledged his decisive action.

"The guy was wearing a vest. He was identified by the sniper moving down a tree line and coming up over a ditch," said Slack. "He had a shawl on. It rose up and the sniper saw he had a machine gun. ... They were in contact and he was moving to a firing position. The sniper engaged him and the guy exploded."

It was the lance corporal's second shot of his tour. When he hit the vest's trigger, the man exploded, taking out five more of his fellow fighters. He was 930 yards away.

The sniper's first shot killed an enemy machine gunner during the same engagement. That shot was from more than 1,400 yards away.

When the smoke cleared, British forces found a second vest containing 44 pounds of explosives.

Holly Watt of the Telegraph called it "one of the dwindling number of gun battles between British forces and the insurgents."