Reuters Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui Killed in Clashes in Kandahar
The Indian journalist had been covering the situation in Kandahar.
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Reuters Chief Photographer Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday, 16 July, while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan.
According to AFP, Afghan forces clashed with Taliban fighters in Spin Boldak after an operation was launched to retake the vital border crossing with Pakistan.
Siddique leaves behind his wife and two young children.
Quoting government sources, ANI reported that the Indian Embassy in Kabul is in touch with Afghan authorities to bring back his mortal remains.
"We have been informed that the body has been handed over by the Taliban to the International Committee of the Red Cross," the government sources further said.
The Last Assignment
The Indian journalist had been covering the situation in Kandahar over the last few days.
Earlier in the day, India's Ministry of External Affairs, announced that India's Ambassador to Kabul, Rudrendra Tandon, is in touch with Afghan authorities regarding Siddiqui and is keeping his family informed of the developments.
On 13 July, he had reported that the vehicle he and other special forces were travelling in was targeted with at least three RPG rounds and other weapons.
Afghan Prez, Ambassador Condole Siddiqui's Death
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, as per PTI, said he was "deeply saddened with the shocking reports" of Siddiqui's demise.
Meanwhile, Farid Mamundzay, Afghanistan's Ambassador to India condoled the death of the journalist.
A Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist
In 2018, Siddiqui was one of two Indians in a seven-member Reuters team that bagged the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for their series, which documented the Rohingya refugee crisis.
In his time as a photojournalist, Siddiqui covered stories in Asia, Middle East, and Europe, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Rohingya refugees crisis, Hong Kong protests, Nepal earthquakes, Mass Games in North Korea, and the living conditions of asylum seekers in Switzerland.
His work has been widely published in scores of magazines, newspapers, slideshows and galleries.
“A photo should draw people and tell them the whole story without being loud,” Siddiqui had told Scroll.in in 2018.
Colleagues, Friends, Politicians Mourn Siddiqui
Messages of condolences and mourning from colleagues, friends, and politicians, started pouring in as the news of Siddiqui's unitmely demise spread.
I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, Kerela Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also offered their condolences.
Vijayan said in a tweet, "We have lost a photo journalist par excellence whose work underscored his commitment to humanity."
Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Anurag Thakur, offered his condolences and said in a tweet, "Danish Siddiqui leaves behind an extraordinary body of work."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appealed to the Government of India, 'to facilitate bringing his mortal remains back home at the earliest'.
(With inputs from TOLO News and AFP)
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