The world’s deadliest sniper, ‘Wali’, battles the Russians

An elite Canadian sniper nicknamed ‘Wali,’ one of the world’s most fearsome snipers has reached the war-torn country amid intense fighting between Ukraine and Russia. As a volunteer fighter, he has vowed to take on the Russians in Ukraine.

Wali is believed to have already killed 6 Russian soldiers soon after he arrived on Wednesday as a member of the Canadian contingent. Wali has arrived in Ukraine following a call from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to foreign soldiers to help Ukraine fight Russia.

Despite Russia’s continued bombing of Ukrainian civilian areas, the arrival of Wali has given hope to the war-torn nation. ‘I want to help them. It’s as simple as that. I have to help because there are people here being bombarded just because they want to be European and not Russian,’ Wali said in a recent interview.

Who is sniper Wali?
The mysterious marksman is known only by the nickname ‘Wali’. The name means ‘protector’ or ‘guardian’ in Arabic. This 40-year-old French-Canadian computer scientist was working as a computer programmer in Canada when war broke out. The elite Canadian sniper took part in two operations in Kandahar during the Afghan war from 2009 to 2011. The sniper rifle he used to kill dozens of enemies earned him the nickname ‘Wali’ during this time.

The Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment’s sniper Wali gained a reputation during tours in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. In the elite JTF-2 unit, he was in the same group as the sniper who had the longest distance kill record of 3,540 metres. He shot an IS jihadist at a distance of 3,540 metres in June 2017, which is the longest distance a sniper has ever hit a target. A member of the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment, Wali said Ukraine’s call for help was like hearing the alarm ring. He leaves behind his wife and one-year-old son, who will celebrate his first birthday without his father next week.

‘Wali’ is a dangerous sniper. Why?
There are many great snipers in the world, but very few are famous and prefer to remain anonymous. The average sniper gets about five to six kills a day. The elite snipers get between 7 and 10, and this is considered a great score.