Killed British soldier named
HelmandThe serviceman died in an explosion near Camp Bastion in Helmand Province on Thursday morning.
His fiancee, Anastasia Newman, said he "touched the lives of every person he met" and was "the most wonderful, caring and loving man you could ever meet".
Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: ''He was one of us, one of our own, and we will reme
More..mber him.''
The soldier's death takes the number of British troops who have died in the Afghan conflict since operations began eight years ago to 221.
He was the second British serviceman to be killed near Camp Bastion this month.
Acting Corporal Marcin Wojtak, 24, from Leicester, of 34 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, died after being caught in a blast while patrolling close to the perimeter of the base on October 1.
An MoD spokesman said it was too early to say if the explosives planted close to the camp signalled a change of tactics by insurgents.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman confirmed he would make a statement to the House of Commons on the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Mr Brown is expected to announce that Britain is ready to send another 500 servicemen and women to the country, although this was not confirmed by Downing Street.
This follows a bitter public spat this week between the Prime Minister and General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the Army, over troop numbers.
Sir Richard, who has been recruited by the Tories, claimed Mr Brown had refused to send an extra 2,000 troops to Afghanistan because it was ''too expensive''.
But Downing Street insisted it was ''simply wrong'' to claim the Prime Minister had refused a request from the military for more forces
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Added: Oct 10 2009 In: middle_east
Recorded on: Oct 10 2009
By: Snusmumrikken
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