Kabir Singh
Danish Siddiqui, a Reuters journalist, was shot dead on Friday while documenting a battle between Afghan security forces and Taliban terrorists near a Pakistani border, according to an Afghan security force officials.
What happened
The official said that Siddiqui and a senior Afghan officer were shot in what they termed as Taliban crossfire while fighting to reclaim the major market district of Spin Boldak.
Siddiqui had been covering the news story on battle between Afghan soldiers and Taliban terrorists since earlier this week. The Indian reporter was attached as a journalist with Afghan special operations forces stationed in the southern province of Kandahar.
Reuters take
“We are actively seeking further information, collaborating with officials in the area,” said Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni and President Michael Friedenberg in a joint statement.
The duo quoted Danish Siddique as, “a brilliant journalist , a loving father and husband, and a much-loved coworker.” The statement further added, “At this tragic time, our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Afghanistan’s government
In a message on Twitter, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani tweeted that he was “truly grieved by the tragic reports” of Siddiqui’s death and paid condolences to his family.
Siddiqui was speaking to shopkeepers when the Talibanis stormed again and shot the Indian reporter in a crossfire between Afghan security forces and Talibanis, according to the Afghani commander.
Some of the Siddiqui’s recent posts
On July 16, 2021, news photographers from Kolkata, India, hold candles to pay respect to Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui.
The Past-Present Link
On Wednesday, Islamic militants captured the border region, the second-largest checkpoint on the Pakistani border and one of the most critical targets they have acquired during a swift advance across the state as US forces withdraw after a 20-year warfare.
According to a study released this year by the United Nations, 33 journalists were martyred in Afghanistan between 2018 and 2021.
On April 30, 2018, 10 journalists were murdered, including Nine journalists and photographers who were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul, and a BBC Afghan language service reporter who was murdered in the eastern regions of the city of Khost.
On 19, November, 2001, two of the Reuters’ journalists were killed by the taliban terrorists. The Australian reporter Harry Burton and Afghan-born Azizullah Haidari were on their way to cover a story on falling Taliban’s regime in Kabul. The terrorists stopped their convoy on the route to Kabul from the Pakistani border, killing the two Reuters’ journalists.
The Central and South Asia 2021 Conference
10,000 ‘jihadi’ terrorists have crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan.
Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan
As the Pakistani PM Imran Khan sat a few seats away on the stage at the Central and South Asia connectivity conference held on Friday, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani made a sharp criticism at Pakistan, saying that the country’s ties with terrorist organizations has not been severed.
According to intelligence estimates, more than 10,000 “jihadi” terrorists have infiltrated Afghanistan in the last month, and the Pakistani government has failed to persuade the Taliban to cooperate “seriously” with the peace talks, Mr. Ghani said in a blistering speech.
The Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who was also present at the meeting, alluded to Pakistan’s transit concerns. The Indian foreign affairs minister stated that economic development and prosperity goes “hand in hand” with peace and security.
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