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Last photos of Reuters photographer who was left behind by retreating Afghan army before he was killed by Taliban who 'mutilated his body and ran over it with a car'

An award winning photographer covering the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was left behind by reatreating Afghan Natonal Army commandos and killed by Taliban fighters who later mutilated his body, according to his company.

Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, 38, was killed at the start of the Taliban's lightning offensive to retake Afghanistan in the southern town of Spin Boldak. 

He is now believed to have been injured by shrapnel from a rocket while covering the fighting between Taliban and Afghan commandos in the of Spin Boldak, Kandahar province.

It is believed he was then left behind by the retreating Afghan army, with whom he was embedded as part of his investigation, before falling into the hands of the Taliban.

Mr Siddiqui, an Indian Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and father-of-two, was later killed, his body mutilated and then possibly run over by a car. 

Taliban fighters are alleged to have carried out the mutilation, though a spokesperson for the extreme Islamist group say Mr Siddiqui's body was discovered after being mutilated.

In a tribute to the photojournalist, who had asked bosses to allow him to cover the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, his family said: 'Danish was not only an outstanding professional but also a wonderful human being who captured the truth through his lens.'  

Mr Siddiqui, an Indian Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and father-of-two, was later killed, his body mutilated and then possibly run over by a car. Prior to his death, Mr Siddiqui had captured on video the flash and jolt as a grenade struck the side of an armoured vehicle he was travelling in with Afghan forces in July days before his death

Mr Siddiqui, an Indian Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and father-of-two, was later killed, his body mutilated and then possibly run over by a car. Prior to his death, Mr Siddiqui had captured on video the flash and jolt as a grenade struck the side of an armoured vehicle he was travelling in with Afghan forces in July days before his death

Siddiqui also took this photo two days before his death of Afghan Special Forces Humvees being attacked during heavy clashes with Taliban during a rescue mission in Kandahar province in July

Siddiqui also took this photo two days before his death of Afghan Special Forces Humvees being attacked during heavy clashes with Taliban during a rescue mission in Kandahar province in July

Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui is believed to have been injured by shrapnel from a rocket while covering fighting between Taliban and Afghan commandos in the southern village of Spin Boldak. He later died and, it is claimed, his body was then mutilated by Taliban forces

Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui is believed to have been injured by shrapnel from a rocket while covering fighting between Taliban and Afghan commandos in the southern village of Spin Boldak. He later died and, it is claimed, his body was then mutilated by Taliban forces

According to Reuters, Deli-based Mr Siddiqui, was sent out to Afghanistan at the beginning of last month after asking bosses: 'If we don't go, who will?'

He arrived on Sunday, July 11 at a base of the Afghan Special Forces in the southern city of Kandahar. 

There he embedded with a unit of several hundred elite commandos tasked with flushing out Taliban fighters who in the previous few weeks had been steadily capturing territory.

Two days later Mr Siddiqui joined a successful mission to rescue a policeman who was surrounded by insurgents. 

His convoy was returning when it came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades.

The Humvee he was travelling in was hit by one of the RPGs. Three other vehicles were destroyed.

Mr Siddiqui captured on video the flash and jolt as a grenade struck the side of his vehicle, while the commandos up front drove through the barrage. 

But on July 16 he was caught in crossfire while trying to take photographs of an Afghan offensive on the town of Spin Boldak, located on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He and two Afghan commandos were killed in the incident. It is believed, from looking at his communications and accounts by other Afghan soldiers, that he was injured by shrapnel from a rocket.

A photo taken by  Siddiqui hours before his death of an Afghan soldier holding a gun and looks towards Taliban positions as smoke rises in the distance from clashes on the outskirts of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province on 16 July

A photo taken by  Siddiqui hours before his death of an Afghan soldier holding a gun and looks towards Taliban positions as smoke rises in the distance from clashes on the outskirts of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province on 16 July 

Mr Siddiqui was reportedly rushed to a local mosque for treatment. But it appears he was then left there as the Afghan soldiers retreated.

Major-General Haibatullah Alizai, who was the commander of Afghanistan's Special Operations Corps when it hosted Siddiqui in Kandahar, told Reuters it was evident now that, in fierce fighting, his soldiers withdrew from Spin Boldak.

They left behind Siddiqui and two commandos accompanying him, mistakenly thinking they had joined the retreating convoy. 'They were left there,' Alizai said.

According to Reuters, his account was corroborated by four soldiers who say they witnessed the attack. 

Afghan security officials and representatives from the Indian government have since reportedly told Reuters that, based on photographs later shared online, that Mr Siddiqui's body was mutilated after his death. 

A British ballistics expert consulted by Reuters, Philip Boyce of Forensic Equity, reviewed photos posted on social media soon after the attack and compared them with pictures and X-rays taken after Siddiqui's body was recovered from the Taliban.

Boyce concluded it was 'evident that he was shot multiple further times after he was killed.'

Some reports also have claimed his body was run over by a vehicle; Boyce said the damage observed in the photos was consistent with gunshots and didn't necessarily imply other kinds of post-mortem injury.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Siddiqui's injuries occurred prior to the discovery of the body by Taliban fighters. 

Mr Siddiqui shared a Pulitzer Prize for feature photography with colleagues for his iconic images of the Rohingya refugee exodus from Myanmar in 2018.

At home, he gained fame, and drew threats, for images that captured penetrating insights into Indian politics and social tensions, including his haunting shots earlier this year of the funeral pyres of COVID-19 victims.

Last year he captured a Hindu mob beating a Muslim man in Delhi.

According to a report published by Reuters, some journalists at the worldwide press agency have questioned the decision to allow Mr Siddiqui to remain in Afghanistan.

Members of the newsroom familiar with the decision-making say Siddiqui's embed with soldiers in Afghanistan was backed by senior photo editors, vetted by external advisers and newsroom managers who handle security, and reviewed by a group of top editors who regularly meet to consider potentially dangerous assignments.

Reuters, a unit of Thomson Reuters Inc, said in a statement deployment decisions 'are made collectively.' 

Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni, in a written statement, said she agreed to Siddiqui's embed with Afghan Special Forces. 

'As editor-in-chief, I take full responsibility for the decision,' she wrote. 

 In an email to staff on July 23, Galloni called Siddiqui 'our brilliant colleague and devoted friend' and praised his unwavering gaze that exposed uncomfortable truths. 

She continued: 'I also know many of you want answers. We do too.' The review process that's under way, she said, 'includes a detailed examination of our security procedures.' 

Reuters was founded in 1851 by an enterprising German named Julius Reuter who sent financial news by carrier pigeon.

The agency has a long tradition of covering conflict for its clientele of investors and other media organisations that rely on its worldwide reach. 

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