On Friday, Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui died while reporting a skirmish between the Afghan national armed forces and Taliban militants in Kandahar's Spin Boldak province. Siddiqui was accompanying the Afghan Special Armed Forces while on his journalistic mission to cover the ongoing conflict as Taliban are trying best to establish control over Afghanistan.
Danish Siddiqui was a recipient of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his notable contribution in the field of photojournalism. Danish began his career as a television news correspondent before transitioning to photojournalism. From September 2008 until January 2010, he worked as a photojournalist for the international news agency Reuters and as a reporter for the India Today Group.
Danish Siddiqui and his colleague Adnan Abidi received the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2018 for their work as part of the Reuters team chronicling the Rohingya Refugee Crisis. Danish Siddiqui covered a wide range of events as a photojournalist all over the world. His notable works include coverage of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Rohingya refugee crisis, Hong Kong anti-establishment demonstrations, and the earthquakes in Nepal.
Danish Siddiqui has been following the situation in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in the last few days, as tensions in the region have risen. He had joined the Afghan Special Forces on certain operations, he revealed in a tweet. He was apparently killed when the Afghan Special Forces were attacked by the Taliban militants.
Danish Siddiqui's last article was about Afghan troops attempting to retrieve an injured police officer besieged by Taliban terrorists on the suburbs of Kandahar.
Danish Siddiqui was slain during one such conflict between Taliban and government troops, which have grown more intense as US-led international forces depart from the area. In the north and west, the Taliban have taken control of numerous districts and border crossings. The Taliban have been accused by the government of burning hundreds of government facilities in 29 of the country's 34 provinces. The Taliban denies that its forces have caused widespread devastation.
Due to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, India has evacuated around 50 Indian diplomats and security staff stationed at its consulate in Kandahar. In light of escalating incidences of violence in various regions of the country, the Indian embassy has also advised all Indians visiting, residing, and working in Afghanistan to take extreme vigilance about their security and avoid any non-essential travel.
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