In the first official confirmation, the Afghan security forces spokesman told India Today TV that Pulitzer-winning Indian photojournalist Dane Siddiqui was captured and executed by the Taliban in what was initially reported as a death in a crossfire between the Taliban and the Afghan armed forces .
Ajmal Omar Shinwari, spokesman for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), gave the first official confirmation that the Danish Siddiqui was “arrested” or captured and later executed.
“No confirmation of the mutilation, the matter is under investigation as the area where Danes were executed is under Taliban control, so it is taking time to find witnesses,” the Afghan official told India Today TV.
Last week a report from the The Washington Examiner magazine first claimed that the Dane Siddiqui was neither simply killed in a crossfire in Afghanistan nor suffered collateral damage, but was “brutally murdered” by the Taliban, who killed him after verifying his identity.
Danish Siddiqui, 38, was on duty for Reuters in Afghanistan when he was killed. The award-winning journalist was killed while covering clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar city.
“Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui’s identity and executed him and his companions. The commander and the rest of his team died trying to save him, ”the report said.
Ajmal Omar Shinwari said: “The Taliban’s claims to territories under his control are wrong. The Taliban are funded and supported by Pakistan and it is a proxy war waged by the Afghan government. “
“The Lashkar-e-Taiba, Islamic State / Daesh, Al-Qaeda all operate in Afghanistan and many terrorists and Lashkar fighters are from Pakistan,” he added.
The official went on to appeal, “All countries are lobbyists and should support the Afghan army. The Afghan armed forces are strong and will not allow a takeover by the Taliban. “
The Danish Siddiqui won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 as part of the Reuters team for his coverage of the Rohingya crisis. He had reported extensively on the Afghanistan conflict, the protests in Hong Kong and other important events in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The Danish Siddiqui was buried in the Jamia Millia Islamia cemetery, where a sea of mourners gathered to pay their final respects.
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