Comrades of a Gurkha who was shot dead in Afghanistan have described him as a "born leader of men".
Lance Corporal Gajbahadur Gurung from the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment was serving as a part of Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (North), and was a member of an International Security Assistance Force foot patrol to disrupt insurgent activity when he received a fatal gunshot wound on Friday.
A total of 397 UK military personnel have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001.
Nepalese L/Cpl Gurung, known as Gaj, joined the Brigade of Gurkhas on December 18 2004 at British Gurkhas, Pokhara, Nepal, the Ministry of Defence said.
L/Cpl Gurung, who has been deployed to Afghanistan three times during his military career, was posted to 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment in 2009.
A MoD spokesman said during the latest tour, his Company was tasked with holding an area north east of Helmand's second city, Gereshk.
On Friday, his patrol came under small arms fire and he was fatally wounded, the spokesman said.
Lieutenant Colonel Dan Bradbury, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said: "He touched so many lives for the better. His peers in Delhi Company and all of us in the chain of command knew him as an intelligent, charismatic and inquisitive natural leader of men.
"Never one to let an opportunity go, he was constantly striving to know more, learn more and his ability to get on so well with the local people made him the natural choice to train the Afghan Local Police.
"He died as he lived - at the heart of the action, taking the fight to the enemy and resolute in the face of danger. He was a true Gurkha in body and spirit in everything he did."
The MoD said that L/Cpl Gurung leaves behind his wife Manisha, who lives in Germany, and his immediate family in Nepal.
Major Spiro Christopher Marcandonatos, Officer Commanding, D (Delhi) Company, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said: "I have known Lance Corporal Gurung for nearly three years. An extraordinary individual he made an impression from the very first time I met him. Bright and well-educated, he was most definitely a 'people person' who abided by all the right values; a true Gurkha at heart, with a Western twist.
"Much respected across all ranks, he offered much in every way and was a born leader of men.
"Such is the mark of the individual to me that as his Officer Commanding, I consider that I have lost a brother and a friend. As a rising star in the Brigade of Gurkhas we will be the worse for his passing and he will be sorely missed by one and all."
Captain Hemkumar Tamang, Second in Command, D (Delhi) Company, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, added that L/Cpl Gurung was "cheerful, charming and approachable" and loved sports.
"His smile and humble character remains in my heart," he added.
Captain Euan Waters, Platoon Commander, 9 Platoon, D (Delhi) Company, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said: "L/Cpl Gurung was one of the most gifted soldiers I have ever seen.
"His thirst for life and energy was contagious. He touched all those that met him. I am a better soldier and person for having known him."
Corporal Ishwor Sunuwar, Company Combat Human Resources Administrator, D (Delhi) Company, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, said: "I first met Gaj in Oxford Barracks in Germany on my assignment to the Company.
"Gaj was an ambitious soldier and a true gentleman, brother and a good friend."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond added: "I was very saddened to learn of the death of Lance Corporal Gajbahadur Gurung, a young soldier who achieved so much during his few years as a member of the British Army.
"He served three tours of Afghanistan, fighting to safeguard Britain's national security and to give Afghanistan a peaceful future.
"My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and colleagues."