塔利班狙击手在近5个月中已经狙杀了7名英军士兵。在阿富汗桑金（Sangin）驻扎的英军第三步兵团的600名士兵感受到塔利班狙击手每天在等待着他的猎物。塔利班狙击手有可能在伊朗或巴基斯坦的基地里接受过专门训练，在上个月竟然将一名英军狙击手从警戒哨上干掉。死在枪下的有三名是英军神枪手，其中一人被命中眉心。对此，英军一直一筹莫展。
英军在前线营地有狙击手在能俯瞰桑金的瞭望塔上警戒，并可用标枪导弹摧毁可疑目标。不过，塔利班狙击手似乎也在监视着英军并等待着最佳开火时机然后脱离。英军SAS部队在该地区执行了几次行动也没有将其清除。
在过去的12个月中在塔利班控制地区及周边已有53名英军死亡，自去年11月以来，7名士兵死于轻武器交火，15名死于路边爆炸物袭击。英军在桑金的态势尤甚当年在北爱尔兰南阿马遭到的来自爱尔兰共和军的狙击袭击。

A TALIBAN sniper has shot dead up to seven British soldiers during a five-month killing spree in a town regarded as the most dangerous place in Afghanistan.

The 600 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, the Rifles, stationed at Sangin, fear that the gunman is stalking his prey for days on end and may have been trained in neighbouring Iran or by Al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan.

The Taliban hitman demonstrated his skill last month when he picked off a British sniper who was on the lookout for his insurgent rival. Three of his suspected victims have been army sharpshooters, including one killed by a single bullet between the eyes.

"Their sniper is giving us real problems and we've not yet worked out how to take him down," said a senior British Army officer who recently visited the town in Helmand province.

"Our snipers are some of the best-trained and capable soldiers we have. When you lose one it is telling you something."

One soldier likened the deadly stand-off to Enemy at the Gates, the Hollywood film in which Jude Law and Ed Harris play rival Soviet and German snipers stalking each other across Stalingrad during the second world war.

British snipers use a watchtower at Forward Operating Base Jackson that overlooks Sangin, and also have access to Javelin guided missiles, which can accurately blast any enemy positions they detect.

"The Taliban sniper must watch our guys for days to wait for the best situation to open fire and still make his escape," said the soldier. "So far he has not been taken down, even though the SAS have carried out several forays into the area."

Heavy casualties in Sangin have prompted Sir Jock Stirrup, chief of the defence staff, to demand a review of British tactics. Some 53 British troops have been killed in and around the Taliban stronghold during the past 12 months. Since last November, 3 Rifles have lost seven soldiers in the district to "small arms fire", while 15 troops have been killed by roadside bombs.

The unit it replaced lost all but one of its fatalities to bombs during its tour of Sangin.

The senior officer added: "There seem to be enough spy drones and troops for the size of area. The conclusion is the Taliban have outside help - from either Iran or Al-Qaeda in Pakistan - to train up their guys."

British troops in Sangin are suffering more than 12 times the average casualty rate for Nato forces in Afghanistan, making it the deadliest location in the country. Some are now comparing it with South Armagh in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles when the Provisional IRA used snipers to kill British troops with impunity. At one point the Provos even put up spoof "Sniper at Work" road signs.

Senior officers consider the situation in Sangin to be "very bad" because of the determination and skill shown by the Taliban fighters there. The Taliban sniper's youngest victim is thought to be 19.

Since Captain James Philippson, 29, was shot on the outskirts of Sangin in June 2006 - the first British soldier to die in combat as part of the Helmand mission - a steady stream of the army's best regiments have failed to seize long-term control. Proposals to drive out the insurgents once and for all include moving in an extra 600 troops that are soon to be available after the handover of Musa Qala in northern Helmand to the Americans - even though these soldiers have been earmarked as reinforcements for "population protection" in another area.

Major-General Gordon Messenger, UK spokesman for operations in Afghanistan, said: "The casualty toll in Sangin is tragically high but our forces remain very much on the front foot and are determined to maintain the progress that they and their predecessors have achieved."

Poison swirls around Karzai and Obama, page 24

• bullet [´bulit] n.子弹 (初中词汇)
• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中词汇)
• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中词汇)
• soviet [´səuviit] a.苏联的 n.苏维埃 (初中词汇)
• review [ri´vju:] v.&n.复习；回顾；检查 (初中词汇)
• conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束；结论；推论 (初中词汇)
• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中词汇)
• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中词汇)
• victim [´viktim] n.牺牲者；受害者 (初中词汇)
• mission [´miʃən] n.代表团；使馆vt.派遣 (初中词汇)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中词汇)
• available [ə´veiləbəl] a.可用的；有效的 (初中词汇)
• messenger [´mesindʒə] n.使者；送信人 (初中词汇)
• maintain [mein´tein] vt.维持；保持；继续 (初中词汇)
• senior [´si:niə] a.年长的 n.前辈 (高中词汇)
• hollywood [´hɔliwud] n.好莱坞 (高中词汇)
• access [´ækses] n.接近；通路；进入 (高中词汇)
• location [ləu´keiʃən] n.定位；位置；地方 (高中词汇)
• ireland [´aiələnd] n.爱尔兰 (高中词汇)
• determination [di,tə:mi´neiʃən] n.决心；决定 (高中词汇)
• combat [´kɔmbæt] v.&n.斗争；战斗；争斗 (高中词汇)
• battalion [bə´tæliən] n.(军队)营；营部 (四级词汇)
• lookout [´lukaut] n.警戒；景色；前途 (四级词汇)
• accurately [´ækjuritli] ad.准确地；精密地 (四级词汇)
• stirrup [´stirəp] n.马蹬；镫形具 (四级词汇)
• tactics [´tæktiks] n.策略；战术 (四级词汇)
• stronghold [´strɔŋhəuld] n.要塞；根据地 (四级词汇)
• roadside [´rəudsaid] n.&a.路边(的) (四级词汇)
• javelin [´dʒævəlin] n.标枪 (六级词汇)
• impunity [im´pju:niti] n.不受惩罚 (六级词汇)
• outskirts [´autskə:ts] n.外边；郊区 (六级词汇)
• spokesman [´spəuksmən] n.发言人 (六级词汇)