Soldier killed in Afghanistan named

A British Army soldier killed in Afghanistan had spoken of hopes of bringing peace to the war-torn country.

Ranger Justin Cupples, 29, a member of the 1st Battalion of The Royal Irish Regiment (RIR), was killed while on routine foot patrol in Sangin, Helmand Province, on Thursday.

He was fatally injured in a roadside bomb attack and, despite receiving first aid, died at the scene.

His death takes the number of British Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan to 117.

The Ranger, known as Cups to his comrades, was from Miami in the US but had moved back to his family home in Co Cavan in the Irish Republic, where he met and married his Lithuanian wife Vilma.

After leaving the US navy and moving to Ireland to the family home in Virginia, Co Cavan, he decided to join the British Army, spurred by the belief he had some unfinished business with the Taliban following the September 11 terrorist attacks on his homeland.

He said: "It was one of the things I regretted after September 11, not being able to go in there (to Afghanistan) and do the job that needed to be done, and obviously still needs doing."

Ranger Cupples's commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Ed Freely paid his own tribute.

He said: "Justin Cupples was a character, he stood out as such.

"He was an intelligent, bright soldier. I recall engaging with him on a number of occasions - as I say, he stood out - whether on arduous training in Kenya last year or on pre-deployment training for Afghanistan.

"He was never shy to offer an opinion. He was loyal, strong and determined; a very good soldier.

"We pray for his soul and for his wife and his family. May his soul rest in peace."

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