Soldier Killed in Afghanistan Blast is Named

A British soldier killed by an explosive device in southern Afghanistan was named yesterday as Corporal Damian Stephen Lawrence, 25, from the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (the Green Howards). Lawrence, from Whitby, North Yorkshire, was killed on Sunday night during a joint UK-Afghan national army operation to clear the Taliban out of Kajaki, the site of an important dam.

Nato troops are trying to secure the dam, which has the potential to play a significant role in the economic development of the region. Lawrence was taking part in a night patrol "tasked with clearing a number of compounds in Kajaki", the Ministry of defense said. "Immediately upon entry into a compound an explosive device detonated, fatally injuring Corporal Lawrence. Another soldier was also wounded, but his injuries are not life-threatening," it added.

Lawrence, the 88th British military death in Afghanistan since 2001, was described by Major Matt Adams, one of his commanding officers, as "irreplaceable". He had served in Northern Ireland and Kosovo and it was his second deployment to Afghanistan. At the end of last year he took part in the recapture of the town of Musa Qala from the Taliban.

Lt Col Simon Downey, his commanding officer, said yesterday: "Every way you considered him, Cpl Lawrence was outstanding ... he was a great comrade and an accomplished soldier."

Downey added: "He flourished in the dangerous challenges of mentoring the Afghan army on operations and it is absolutely typical that he died leading from the front, paying the ultimate price for the leadership and courage that came so naturally to him."

Adams said Lawrence died "as he lived, leading his men, in a high-threat environment under adverse conditions and to the highest standards of the British army".