A British soldier killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan has been named by the Ministry of Defence. Corporal Darryl Gardiner, a member of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, attached to the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery and 52 Brigade's Reconnaissance Force, died after the vehicle he was travelling in was hit by a mine strike near the town of Musa Qala on Sunday.Five other British service personnel injured in the incident were taken by helicopter to the International Security Assistance Force medical centres at Camp Bastion and Kandahar airfield.
Cpl Gardiner was taking part in an operation to disrupt enemy forces and reassure local Afghans in Helmand Province when the blast occurred. The 25-year-old from Wiltshire was evacuated by helicopter to the field hospital at Camp Bastion but died from his wounds.
Known to his friends as "Daz", Cpl Gardiner had been deployed in Afghanistan since October. A keen skydiver and member of the Army Parachute Association, he leaves behind a girlfriend, Lucy.
In a statement, Cpl Gardiner's family said they were "deeply proud that Darryl served his country". It added: "The family asks, at what is a very difficult time for them, that their privacy is respected."