Tributes for soldier killed by IED 17.09.12
7Tributes have been paid to Lance Corporal Duane Groom from The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, who was killed on Friday.
He died when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
The Ministry of Defence said the 32-year-old, who was born in Suva City, Fiji, was protecting his Afghan and British colleagues as they extracted from a successful operation, when he was killed in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province.
Lieutenant Colonel James Bowder, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, said: "Lance Corporal Groom was an outstanding soldier in every respect. Tough, keen, and unflappable, he was utterly committed to his fellows and the cause.
"We are all tremendously proud of what he achieved during his time in the regiment, and particularly out here in Afghanistan where he contributed so much.
"His many friends and the broader battlegroup will never forget this most talented of men. Moreover, we are determined to finish the mission that he so bravely helped to start.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends outside the regiment at this most difficult of times."