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Danish Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Siddiqui who worked for the Reuters news agency was killed in southern Afghanistan.
Siddiqui was in the border town of Spin Boldak on a mission with Afghan security forces when he was caught in Taliban crossfire, an Afghan commander told the news agency. He had documented the intense pressure on Afghan commando units in a story released earlier this week.
Ahead of his death on Friday morning, Siddiqui told Reuters he was injured in the arm by shrapnel during fighting in the key border town of Spin Boldak, but received medical treatment and the Taliban went out. were withdrawn.
The Afghan commando said Siddiqui was talking to traders when the group attacked again, killing him.
Reuters said it was “urgently seeking more information” about his death, and its chairman, Michael Friedenberg, and editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni paid tribute to Siddiqui and his work.
They said in a statement: “The Dane was an exceptional journalist, a devoted husband and father and a much appreciated colleague. Our hearts go out to his family at this terrible time. “
He was the agency’s chief photographer for India and was part of the team that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for feature film photography for documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis.
Siddiqui joined Reuters in 2010, moving from a career in television to a photojournalist, and his assignments included covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Hong Kong protests and the earthquakes in Nepal.
Tributes to Siddiqui and his work have poured in from across the region and beyond.
Rahul Bhatia, a former colleague, wrote: “The Danish was a lovely man. When he returned from his assignments in the office, reporters greeted him like a rock star, which he really was. He was just different. The news wasn’t just news for him. He saw the people behind and wanted to make you feel.
“This time he wanted to travel to India to take portraits of grieving Muslims, and when you look closely at the pixels, you see that each face is made up of a thousand other grieving faces. He really cared about him.
The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee mentionned he was “deeply saddened” by the death and called on “both sides of the conflict to protect journalists”.
Press freedom and human rights groups have warned of a growing threat to journalists in Afghanistan, which over the past 20 years has built thriving media networks that are among the freest in a region often characterized by repression.
At least 11 journalists were killed in targeted attacks last year, Amnesty International said recently, calling on the government to offer more protection to journalists. Since 2001, more than 50 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The United Nations also warned of the growing risks to journalists and called for a government investigation into Siddiqui’s murder.
“The media working in Afghanistan and journalism itself in the country are under increasing threat. Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Dane Siddiqui, ”the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan wrote on Twitter.
He added: “A painful reminder of the growing dangers facing the media in Afghanistan. The authorities must investigate this and all the murders of journalists. “
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