As the violence against US-led soldiers in Afghanistan peaks, the US Army is shipping a new batch of rifles to the country in an effort to enable snipers to hit targets at long distances.
The XM2010 rifle can hit a target at a distance of approximately 1,200 meters, which is some 400 meters (a quarter mile) farther than the weapon currently used by the United States Army since 1988,USA Today reported on Saturday.
The high-tech weapon is scheduled to be shipped amid a surge in violence and reprisal attacks against NATO forces in war-wracked Afghanistan, where craggy mountains and ridges have posed a sharp setback for foreign troops in their struggle to hit militants hiding on distant mountain tops.
The decision comes as NATO recently admitted that militant attacks have significantly increased since the Afghan invasion nine years ago.
At least 682 US-led soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in 2010 so far, and this year appears to be the deadliest for NATO since the 2001 invasion.
Meanwhile, Colonel Douglas Tamilio, the US Army project manager for new weapons, strongly endorsed the plan, adding that the maximum range of the current M24 sniper rifle is not enough to overcome the militants, who fire down from ridges and mountain tops, and take advantage of gravity.
"They're not outgunning us, but they are putting our soldiers in a predicament where 800 meters (2,625 feet) may not be enough," Tamilio said.
According to US officials, the 2,500 snipers are expected to receive the new XM2010 weapons as early as 2011.
Some 150,000 NATO troops are currently fighting in war-torn Afghanistan with plans to stay in the country beyond 2014.
The upsurge in the number of casualties among US-led foreign forces in tandem with the heavy civilian casualties has provoked a barrage criticism from countries, which have contributed troops to the prolonged Afghan mission.
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