American Report Says That Indian Photojournalist Danish Siddique Was Executed

A report published in an American Magazine on Thursday confirmed that Indian Pulitzer-winning photojournalist Danish Siddique was not killed in crossfire in Afghanistan. 

Danish Siddique had won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his coverage of the Rohingya crisis.  The chief head of Reuters’ multimedia team covered the Afghanistan conflict, the Battle of Mosul, Nepal Earthquake, 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, Hong Kong protests, 2020 Delhi riots and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He was killed by the Taliban after they verified his identity. 

The report said that Siddique travelled to Spin Boldak region with an Afghan National Army team to cover the fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban to control the lucrative border crossing with Pakistan. 

When they got within one-third of a mile of the customs post a Taliban attack split the team. Danish got separated from the commander and a few men. He remained with three other Afghan troops. 

During the assault, the shrapnel hit Mr Siddique. His team took him to a local mosque where he was given first aid.

When the word spread that Danish was in the mosque, the Taliban came to execute him and they only attacked the mosque as Siddique was present there. 

“Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui's identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him,” the report said.

According to Michael Rubin from the American Enterprise Institute, the Taliban beat him around the head and riddled his body with bullets. He had reviewed the photographs sent to him by a source in the Indian government. 

The report said that the Taliban’s decision to execute Siddique and mutilate his corpse shows that the Taliban do not respect the rules of war or conventions that govern the behaviour of the global community.

Danish Siddique’s body arrived at the Delhi airport on the evening of July 18 and was later taken to his home in Jamia Nagar. He was laid to rest at the Jamia Millia Islamia graveyard where many people paid their last respects.