Soldier Captures POV Footage of Intense Firefight with Taliban in Afghanistan

We’ve shared some pretty intense footage captured using helmet-mounted cameras in the past, but perhaps none as crazy as the video above. Shot by a US soldier in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, the video offers a point-of-view look at what it’s like to face machine gun fire from the Taliban. [Editor’s note: Be warned — there’s a bit of mature language.]

The soldier writes,

I got a hit a total of 4 times. My helmet cam died and I made it down the mountain on my own. I was also hit in the side of my helmet and my eye pro was shot off of my face. We were doing overwatch on the village to recon and gather intel. I was point heading down the face of the hill with the LT. when we got hit. The rest of the squad was pinned down by machine gun fire. I didn’t start the video until a few mins into the firefight for obvious reasons. I came out into the open to draw fire so my squad could get to safety.

A round struck the tube by my hand of the 203 grenade launcher which knocked it out of my hands. When I picked the rifle back up it was still functional but the grenade launcher tube had a nice sized 7.62 cal bullet hole in it and was rendered useless.

It’s chilling to see small puffs of smoking and dust burst out of the ground around the soldier’s feet as he’s scrambling down the slope. Thankfully, his body armor protected him from the 4 bullets that actually hit him, allowing him to escape with no serious injuries and with a ridiculous video to show the world (and his grandkids).

(via Gawker via Imaging Resource)

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