A COLCHESTER-BASED soldier killed in Afghanistan on Monday was due to marry his fiancee at the end of his tour.

Lance Corporal Kyle Cleet Marshall, from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, was killed by a roadside bomb just as his team discovered a bomb-making factory.

L/Cpl Marshall, 23, was born in Newcastle but lived in Colchester, and leaves behind his father Garry, his mother Olywn and his fiancee Hayley.

In a joint statement, the family said: “Kyle was a very lively, outgoing, loving and much-loved son.

“He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends. He was due to be married in July to his fiancee Hayley.

“We take comfort in the fact he is now with his grandad, who died some years ago.”

L/Cpl Marshall was on an operation aimed at reassuring residents and improving security in the village of Padaka, in the south of the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province.

The Ministry of Defence said he was fatally wounded, at 11.30am on Monday, by an improvised explosive device after a battle with insurgents.

L/Cpl Marshall was described by colleagues as a “popular and cheerful soldier” who was a talented footballer in his youth.

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Harrison, said he had made a huge lifesaving discovery just before he was killed.

He said: “He died as he lived, at the front, guiding his men, surrounded by friends and at the very tip of the battalion spear.

“In the very moments before he passed away, he led his team in the discovery of a huge bomb-making factory.

“Thirty-five devices and a plethora of explosive components were subsequently found in the building.

“This discovery will undoubtedly save numerous colleagues and locals falling prey to the most insidious of insurgent threats.”

He added: “He is irreplaceable.”

Fellow 2 Para Lance Corporal Robert O 'Neil said: “I feel I have been robbed of a massive friend, who I will miss for the rest of my life, as will everyone who had him in their lives.

“He was a true paratrooper, great at his job in the field, but a pain in the rear at the same time.”

In February so far, seven soldiers have died in Afghanistan, including four paratroopers.

Company Sergeant Major Colin Beckett, of 3 Para, was killed by another roadside bomb on February 5, while four days later Private Lewis Hendry, from 3 Para, and Private Conrad Lewis, from 4 Para, died in a firefight.