text: Defensive Considerations in Counterinsurgency
  Denying Enemy Use of Overwatching Terrain
  6-104. Either occupy overwatching terrain with friendly forces, or modify it to make it less useful to an
  enemy sniper. Pull down likely hiding places. Clear bushes and rubble. Board or brick up windows. Pile up
  earth and rubble in front of buildings to block lines of sight for snipers. Ensure all actions are
  in accordance with the laws of war.
  TECHNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS
  6-105. Countersniper actions have two parts: find and eliminate the sniper.
  Find the Sniper
  6-106. Once a unit determines it has a sniper or a sniper team in its AO, the unit should implement
  countersniper immediate action drills. Allowing the enemy sniper to fight another day is mission failure.
  First, the unit must find the sniper or the sniper team. Techniques for detecting a sniper consist
  of identifying likely sniper locations, focusing observation on sniper movement, and seeking audible and
  visual signs. Backtracking, which involves integrating the following techniques, is used to find the sniper:
  Identify Likely Sniper Locations
  6-107. A sniper is a line-of-sight asset. The larger the sniper kill zone, the closer or the higher he must
  position himself to cover it. Smaller sniper kill zones create for a narrow, if not linear, line of sight. In such
  cases, the sniper will always choose a position that offers that offers a line of sight, such as a road or alley,
  or maybe inside a building, shooting through a window, doorway, or other opening.
  Focus Observation on Sniper Movement
  6-108. Snipers always plan infiltration and exfiltration routes. After identifying possible sniper locations,
  a unit commander can focus observation on these routes and deny a sniper the ability to reposition. Snipers
  operate slowly, with calculated movements, to avoid detection. The movement the sniper makes may not
  be easily detected. Units should look for movement that does not "fit" the environment.
  Seek Audible/Visible Signs
  6-109. Audible/visual indicators help find snipers based on the sniper's firing a shot. Actually, firing a
  weapon is a sniper’s greatest moment of risk; it offers the best opportunity to locate him or his team. The
  acoustic, light and heat signatures associated with the projection of the bullet from his rifle are his greatest
  vulnerabilities. The muzzle flash can be detected with infrared sensors out to a kilometer. Often the muzzle
  flash and the blast can throw dust into the air. Acoustic sensors can detect a muzzle blast from several
  hundred meters to more than a kilometer. The bullet’s shock wave is a mini-sonic boom. This noise, caused
  by the bullet travelling faster than the speed of sound, can sometimes be heard more than a kilometer away.
  Backtrack Sounds, Sights, and Angles
  6-110. In a city, the backtracking process is complicated by buildings that obstruct the view of the
  sniper’s position. Backtracking is challenging, but it is how you relate shot angles, kill zones, movement,
  and audible and visible signs to help you find the sniper. Experience and training play a major role
  in accurate backtracking.
  Eliminate Sniper
  6-111. Once spotted, the enemy sniper must be killed or forced to surrender. To be successful in this
  goal, the unit must rapidly locate, fix, and finish an active enemy sniper to ultimately kill or capture him.