After the Taliban dusted their hands off the murder of Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui, an Afghan official confirmed that Siddique was indeed captured and executed by the Taliban.
Ajmal Omar Shinwari, spokesperson of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) in an interview to India Today gave the first official confirmation that Danish Siddiqui was arrested or captured and later executed by the Taliban.
With the reports of Siddique’s brutal execution doing rounds, Shinwari said, “No confirmation of mutilation, the matter is under investigation as the area where Danish was executed is under Taliban control, so finding witnesses is taking time.”
Conflicting reports
Conflicting reports on Siddiqui’s murder have emerged in the media. The 38-year-old journalist was killed on the morning of July 16, when he had accompanied Afghan commandos to Spin Boldak, a border district recently captured by the Taliban.
Initial photographs from the scene showed Siddiqui’s body with multiple wounds but no signs of mutilation. However, according to two Indian officials and two Afghan health officials there, Siddiqui’s body was badly mutilated when it was handed over to the Red Cross and transferred to a hospital in the southern city of Kandahar.
The claim was asserted by The New York Times that reviewed multiple photographs provided by Indian officials and those taken by Afghan health workers at the hospital. As per the report, one Indian official said the body had nearly a dozen bullet wounds and tyre marks on the face and chest.
One of the health officials in Kandahar said his face was unrecognizable and the health officials could not determine what exactly had been done to the body.
However, the Taliban insisted that Siddiqui lost his life in a crossfire when their convoy was ambushed from multiple directions. Reportedly, an Afghan commander was also killed while trying to save Siddiqui.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed that they have been instructed to treat bodies with respect and to hand them over to local elders or the Red Cross.
New revelations about murder of Danish Siddiqui
Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul has made stunning revelations regarding the extent to which Siddiqui’s body was mutilated. He reported that the body had 12 bullet entry and exit points and the face had tyre marks, hinting that the body was crushed under a Humvee or some other heavy vehicle by the Taliban.
X-Ray of Indian @Reuters Journalist Danish Siddiqui’s body shows brutal torture marks and 12 bullet entry and exit points. Face has tyre marks. Crushed under a Humvee or another heavy vehicle by the Taliban. Here is my detailed exclusive report.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 2, 2021
pic.twitter.com/RuCNZ7M8Hj
Aditya Raj Kaul said that there is official confirmation of the same and he has confirmed from multiple sources in the establishment that the body of Danish Siddiqui was indeed mutilated.
Afghanistan official accuses Pakistan of sending terrorists
Commenting on Pakistan’s support to the Taliban, Shinwari further alleged, “Taliban’s claims on areas under its control are false. The Taliban are funded and supported by Pakistan and it’s a proxy war that the Afghanistan government is fighting.”
“All countries are stakeholders and should support the Afghan army. Afghan forces are strong and will not allow a Taliban takeover,” he appealed.
The recent ambush of the Taliban in Afghanistan has rendered over 3 lakh Afghanis homeless. Reports suggest as many as 30,000 are being forced to flee to neighboring countries fearing the Taliban.
