Guwahati News Desk: The Pulitzer Prize winning Indian photojournalist, Danish Siddiqui, has been killed in Afghanistan while covering the fierce fight between the Afghan troops and the Taliban militants, in Kandahar.
Siddiqui, who was in his early 40s, was killed amidst the clashes in the Spin Boldak district in Kandahar.
The Taliban had captured the Spin Boldak district this week, for which a fierce fight took place between the Afghan troops and the Taliban militants in the district, that continued for days.
Meanwhile, Siddiqui was engaged in covering the situation in Kandahar, when this tragic incident happened.
Regarding the tragedy, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay tweeted on Friday, “Deeply disturbed by the sad news of the killing of a friend, Danish Siddiqui in Kandahar last night (Thursday). The Indian Journalist and winner of the Pulitzer Prize was embedded with Afghan security forces.”
Mamundzay added, “I met him two weeks ago before his departure to Kabul. Condolences to his family & Reuters.”
Siddiqui was based in Mumbai and had received the Pulitzer Prize as part of the Photography staff of Reuters news agency.
Siddiqui completed his graduation with a degree in Economics from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, and further obtained a degree in Mass Communication from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia in 2007.
In 2010, he started his career as a television news correspondent, but switched to photojournalism and joined Reuters as an intern.
Sources have also stated, that the ongoing clashes between the government and the Taliban have intensified, since the US troops began to withdraw from the country. Also, the Taliban have recently claimed that their fighters had retaken 85 per cent of territory in Afghanistan.