A Royal Marine commando who died in Afghanistan has been described as "the loveliest husband and father".
Father-of-three Captain Carl Manley died on Monday at Bagram Air Force Base from what are believed to be natural causes.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) described Capt Manley, who was 41, as a devoted husband and father who had served his nation with "dedication and courage" for more than 20 years.
His wife, who has not been named, said in a statement: "To us, Carl was the loveliest husband and father. We can't imagine life without him.
"We are so very proud of him and everything he has achieved, both professionally and for the family.
"Always smiling, he never had a bad word to say about anyone. Everything he did was selfless, at work and at home. The world has lost a really special person."
Capt Manley's commanding officer, who has also not been named, also paid tribute.
He said: "His combination of ferocious work ethic and humility ensured that he made a sustained contribution to the International Security Assistance Force operations on this and his previous tours of Afghanistan.
"A highly valued Royal Marine officer, he will be missed by all those who worked with him."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond added: "I was very saddened to learn of the untimely death of Capt Carl Manley whose career in the Royal Marines has been tragically cut short by a fatal medical condition.
"He served with courage on Afghanistan's front line and his contribution to the campaign and to Britain's national security will not be forgotten."
The death of Capt Manley brings the total number of members of UK forces to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001 to 433.
