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Dead UK Afghanistan soldier named | Dead UK Afghanistan soldier named |
(10 minutes later) | |
A British soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan has been named as Cpl Darryl Gardiner. | |
He was a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers attached to the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery. | He was a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers attached to the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery. |
Cpl Gardiner, 25, from Wiltshire, was killed and five others hurt when their vehicle was hit by a mine strike near Musa Qala on Sunday. | |
His family said they were "deeply proud that Darryl served his country". The soldier leaves a girlfriend, Lucy. | |
Cpl Gardiner had been deployed in Afghanistan since October. | |
Disrupting enemy | |
Following Sunday's attack, all casualties were evacuated by helicopter to the International Security Assistance Force medical centres at Camp Bastion and Kandahar airfield. | |
The personnel were disrupting enemy forces and reassuring local Afghans when they were hit, the Ministry of Defence said. | |
The town of Musa Qala was in the Taleban's hands until last month, when troops from the UK, US and Afghanistan recaptured it. | |
The insurgents reportedly withdrew, heading for the mountains, rather than fight street by street to retain control. | |
British troops are understood to have kept a small presence there, but the main defence of the town and the surrounding area is led by the Afghan army. | |
The Taleban had controlled Musa Qala since February, contravening a deal struck with tribal elders when UK troops withdrew. | |
The number of UK troops killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 now stands at 87. | |
A large number of international troops are fighting the Taleban-led insurgency in the south. | |
Attacks and roadside bombings against foreign soldiers are frequent. |
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