Royal Marines serving in Afghanistan have become the first British troops to use a powerful new long-range rifle on the front line, the Ministry of Defence has announced.
Members of 40 Commando have begun using the Sharpshooter rifle in battles with the Taliban in dangerous Sangin in Helmand province.
The new semi-automatic weapon fires a 7.62mm round, larger than the Army's standard issue SA80 A2 assault rifle, and is more accurate over long distances.
More than 400 of the guns - the first new infantry combat rifle to be given to troops in more than two decades - have been bought in a £1.5 million urgent operational requirement.
Royal Marines from 40 Commando have been using Sharpshooter rifles on the frontline for about a fortnight now, the MoD said.
