Indian journalist killed in line of duty by Taliban

NEW DELHI: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, whose searing images of wars, riots and human suffering won global accolades including the Pulitzer Prize in 2018, was killed in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province on Friday while covering the region’s escalating conflict for Reuters. He was 38.

A largely self-taught photojournalist, Siddiqui is survived by his wife and two children. Friends and family described him as a shy, friendly man from south Delhi’s Jamia Nagar who cared deeply about the issues he covered, and played cricket in a local park every week.

“Deeply disturbed by the sad news of the killing of a friend, Danish Siddiqui in Kandahar last night. The Indian journalist & winner of Pulitzer Prize was embedded with Afghan security forces,” Afghan ambassador Farid Mamundzay tweeted. He said Siddiqui, the chief photographer for Reuters in India, was with Afghan security forces when they were attacked by “terrorists” in Kandahar. An Afghan commander told Reuters that Siddiqui was killed on Friday while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan in

Spin Boldak.

Afghan special forces were fighting to retake the main market area of Spin Boldak when Siddiqui and the senior Afghan officer were killed in what was described as “Taliban crossfire”, the official said.

Siddiqui had earlier told Reuters

he was injured in the arm by shrapnel on Friday while reporting on the clash. He was treated and was recovering when Taliban fighters retreated from the fighting in Spin Boldak. Siddiqui was talking to shopkeepers when the Taliban attacked again, the Afghan commander said.

“I am deeply saddened with the shocking reports that Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed while covering the Taliban atrocities in Kandahar,” said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani .

Danish Siddiqui tweeted this image that shows him and two Afghan soldiers resting during missions last week. The Reuters journalist was embedded with the Afghan forces in Kandahar and was reporting on fighting between the military and the Taliban. He wrote in another tweet that he was “lucky to be safe” after a rocket hit the vehicle he was travelling in.