Afghan National Army soldiers fielded and trained on M24 sniper rifles in Helmand province, with U.S. Marine advisers documenting marksmanship, overwatch, observation, and long-range firing roles.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Afghan National Army soldiers in Helmand province trained with newly acquired M24 sniper rifles in May 2012. | |
| The 2012 course linked the rifle to squad overwatch, observation before patrols, and longer-range engagement capability. | |
| A 6th Kandak soldier fired an M24 sniper rifle at Camp Shorabak on November 11, 2017 during sniper training for intelligence gathering and long-range firing capability. | Sources: 6th Brigade 1st Kandak Sniper Range |
Timeline
Afghan National Army soldiers from 1st Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps trained at Forward Operating Base Geronimo with M24 sniper rifles recently acquired by the local kandak.
A 6th Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps soldier fired an M24 sniper rifle during a battle-sight-zero range at Camp Shorabak as part of sniper training for future Helmand combat missions.
Sources: 6th Brigade 1st Kandak Sniper Range
The M24 sniper rifle is documented in Afghan National Army service during the 2001 War in Afghanistan through official U.S. Marine Corps reporting and imagery from Helmand province. In May 2012, 1st Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps soldiers trained with newly acquired M24 rifles at Forward Operating Base Geronimo under a Marine scout-sniper team.
A later Marine Corps photo record from Camp Shorabak shows a 6th Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps soldier firing an M24 sniper rifle during a battle-sight-zero range on November 11, 2017. The caption ties the range to sniper training for intelligence gathering and long-range firing capability during future combat missions in Helmand province.
Sources: Afghans Learn Marksmanship from Scout Snipers, 6th Brigade 1st Kandak Sniper Range
In 2012, the M24 appeared in a weeklong Afghan National Army marksmanship course at Forward Operating Base Geronimo. The course covered M24 maintenance, firing at 450 meters, memory tests, and observation tests; the Marine instructor quoted in the article described the role as overwatch and pre-patrol observation for Afghan squads.
In November 2017, Afghan soldiers at Camp Shorabak used M24 rifles during an operational-readiness cycle. The official photo caption describes approximately 15 soldiers completing sniper training to improve intelligence gathering and long-range firing capability for future Helmand combat missions.
Sources: Afghans Learn Marksmanship from Scout Snipers, 6th Brigade 1st Kandak Sniper Range
The public record supports Afghan government-side fielding and training, not a separately named combat engagement involving the rifle. The 2012 article says the local kandak had recently acquired M24 rifles and needed Marine instruction before soldiers returned to their tolais with the new weapon.
Within that documented use, the rifle's conflict role was sniper overwatch, observation, and long-range precision fire in support of Afghan units. The sources place the weapon in Helmand province during coalition advising and Afghan force-development activity, with U.S. Marines serving as instructors or advisers and Afghan National Army soldiers operating the rifles.
Sources: Afghans Learn Marksmanship from Scout Snipers, 6th Brigade 1st Kandak Sniper Range
