The early summer heat wave of 2021 was unrelentingly harsh in Afghanistan, an ominous prelude to the political turmoil that was about to engulf the nation. As foreign troops hastened their withdrawal, the Taliban, emboldened by a favorable deal with the U.S. a year earlier, pushed deep into new territories, leaving a trail of violence in their wake.
From those shifting front lines in the southern province of Kandahar, Danish Siddiqui, an Indian photojournalist with the Reuters news agency, called his father. It would be the last time they spoke.
He shared the stories he was planning to pursue, including one about displaced communities. “He wanted to follow them on their journey in search of safer places away from the war,” his father, Akhtar, told New Lines from New Delhi earlier this month. “He was really moved by stories of the sufferings of the Afghan people, which he wanted to tell. He was always very passionate about his work and the people he met along the way.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist was killed on July 16, 2021, while embedded with the Afghan National Army in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar. “He was responsible and would not take undue risk,” his father said. Details emerged slowly from the besieged province, painting a horrifying picture of capture, torture and murder. Days later, after much negotiation with the Taliban, Siddiqui’s body was released, showing clear signs of abuse.
The Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, arrived in New Delhi on Oct. 9, marking the first-ever visit to India by a senior Taliban official. He was only allowed into the country once he had procured a waiver to a travel ban under U.N. Security Council sanctions. Over eight days, Muttaqi attended meetings, trade talks and plenty of photo ops.
For Siddiqui’s family members, the visit also offered a glimmer of hope. Through their Danish Siddiqui Foundation, established in his memory to promote values-based journalism, they appealed to the Indian government, repeating their plea for an investigation into his murder. To the Taliban, they urged justice. The visit was “an opportunity to remind the Taliban of its obligations under international humanitarian law and to encourage cooperation with independent investigations into Danish’s killing,” a statement issued by the foundation read.
More than three weeks later, they have not yet heard from either. Adding salt to their wounds, on Oct. 21, India restored its diplomatic presence in Kabul, paving the way for formal recognition of the Taliban. Later in November, the first Taliban official will be appointed to the mission in New Delhi, The Times of India reported.
The family’s quest for truth has run up against a change in India’s policy toward the new rulers of Afghanistan, who are increasingly at odds with Pakistan, their traditional ally. The shifting geopolitical landscape of the region reflects India’s ambition to strengthen its influence and compete with its regional rival, China, which has long invested in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As an Indian reporting in Afghanistan, Siddiqui was acutely aware that his nationality placed him at greater risk of being targeted by the Taliban. The insurgents maintained close ties with Pakistan, a country with which India has long been locked in regional rivalry. A seasoned war correspondent, Siddiqui was no stranger to danger. Yet the brutality he suffered in his final moments, and even after death, shed light not only on the Taliban’s repeated targeting of journalists but also on the regional power dynamics that may have sealed his fate.
In my earlier reporting, a doctor who conducted preliminary examinations of his body, as well as video and photographic evidence that I verified, confirmed that not only had Siddiqui been injured and killed with gunshot wounds, but his body bore significant evidence of post-mortem mutilation. “It appeared they had run a vehicle over his body, after having shot and killed him, several times,” one of the sources who retrieved his body told me.
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