Pulitzer prize-winning Reuters Indian photojournalist had earlier tweeted, “Lucky To Be Safe” was killed in Kandahar in cross-firing.
Danish Siddique headed Reuters’ multimedia team in India and he was riding along with the Afghan Special Forces and had been reporting on their operations against the Taliban in the region, he was shot dead.
Earlier, Mr Siddiqui told Reuters he had been wounded in the arm by shrapnel while reporting on the clash and was treated and had been recovering when Taliban fighters retreated from the fighting in Spin Boldak.
Danish Siddiqui had been talking to shopkeepers when the Taliban attacked again, an Afghan commander told Reuters and took Danish’s life.
Reuters President Michael Friedenberg and Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni said in a statement, “Danish was an outstanding journalist, a devoted husband and father, and a much-loved colleague. Our thoughts are with his family at this terrible time,”
In a string of tweets three days ago, the photojournalist, who won the Pulitzer in 2018 for his work on the Rohingya refugee crisis, reported how the vehicle he was traveling in was targeted and that he “felt lucky to be safe”.
THREAD:
Be it the farmers’ protest, the Delhi carnage, the devastating Covid wave in India, the torture of Rohingya’s, searing images from Mosul to Kandahar, the world saw the inhumanity through his lens. We are numb Danish. You did not even say the final Goodbye.
Be it the farmers protest, the Delhi carnage, the devastating Covid wave in India, the torture of Rohingya’s, searing images from Mosul to Kandahar, the world saw the inhumanity through his lens. We are numb Danish. You did not even say the final Goodbye https://t.co/nepwRZq4GU
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) July 16, 2021
Grief and condolences pour out for the brilliant journalist who lost his life so young:
Danish Siddiqui was India’s Eye! He captured some of the most seminal images of the recent years as the Reuters Chief Photographer. We lost him while he was covering the war in Afghanistan. Two days back he had a close shave. Rest in Power, Danish!
Danish Siddiqui was India’s Eye! He captured some of the most seminal images of the recent years as the Reuters Chief Photographer. We lost him while he was covering the war in Afghanistan. Two days back he had a close shave. Rest in Power, Danish! https://t.co/UZZR8Cxm10
— Basharat Peer (@BasharatPeer) July 16, 2021
Terrible Terrible news. Our dearest Danish Siddiqui, Reuters Chief photojournalist, was killed in clashes in Spin Boldak district in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was embedded with Afghan forces which came under attack by Taliban. Remember reporting with him on many assignments. RIP
Danish Siddiqui was India’s Eye! He captured some of the most seminal images of the recent years as the Reuters Chief Photographer. We lost him while he was covering the war in Afghanistan. Two days back he had a close shave. Rest in Power, Danish! https://t.co/UZZR8Cxm10
— Basharat Peer (@BasharatPeer) July 16, 2021
Terrible Terrible news. Our dearest Danish Siddiqui, Reuters Chief photojournalist, was killed in clashes in Spin Boldak district in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was embedded with Afghan forces which came under attack by Taliban. Remember reporting with him on many assignments. RIP pic.twitter.com/htFvIT8MiG
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 16, 2021
Afghan Sources tell me that Danish came under attack last night when he was injured with Afghan forces but they continued on a mission. This morning they came under heavy attack yet again in an ambush and were killed by the Taliban. Photograph of mortal remains received. Not posting it
The photojournalist headed Reuters’ multimedia team in India. His powerful drone images of funeral pyres during COVID’s brutal second wave in India had grabbed global attention in India.
Danish Siddiqui graduated with a degree in Economics from Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia. He had a degree in Mass Communication from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia in 2007. He started his career as a television news correspondent, switched to photojournalism, and joined Reuters as an intern in 2010.
India has lost a fine person and a great journalist, in the ravages of the Afghanistan war, a war that was launched by the USA, who left in the middle of the pandemonium with loose ends and untied knots leaving chaos in Asia.