Two weeks after the Taliban brutally murdered Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui, who worked as a chief photographer for news agency Reuters, CNN-News18 has obtained for the first time a detailed medical report, photographs, and an X-Ray of his mortal remains, confirming that he was tortured to death.
Even after his heinous murder, his body was not only dragged mercilessly but also mutilated by a large vehicle.
Multiple sources within the Afghan and Indian national security apparatus shared the gruesome details, as well as the sequence of events on the day of the murder.
Danish was hit by 12 bullets. Bullet entry points were small, and there were several exit wounds. Several bullets were also discovered inside the body. Afghan intelligence sources said there were bullets in the torso and back of the body.
‘Drag marks were discovered on the body as well. It’s assumed that the body was dragged after Taliban terrorists killed him. After the killing, a heavy vehicle crushed the head and chest of Danish several times. Tyre marks can be seen all over the face and chest. According to Afghan intelligence sources, the body was mutilated with a Humvee or another heavy SUV, sources said.
Danish was initially injured by splinters during initial Taliban cross-fire in Kandahar, but the Afghan Army unit continued on its mission and split in half. While one unit relocated, another unit sought refuge with the Danish in a local mosque in Spin Boldak.
The Taliban’s Red unit pursued the Army unit in the mosque and began killing Afghan soldiers.
He then displayed his identification cards and claimed to be an Indian journalist working in Afghanistan. Taliban headquarters in Quetta received photos of his ID cards and requested further instructions.
The Taliban then scanned his Twitter feed and looked at his social media posts. They were angry that the Danish were embedded with Afghan forces and, according to them, were reporting on the Taliban.
The Taliban’s command then ordered him to be silenced. Danish was dragged out of the mosque after receiving orders to fire 12 bullets. At this point, his bullet-proof jacket was taken off. These photographs were taken and then disseminated.
Following this, photographs of Danish’s death surfaced in the Indian and international media, causing a major uproar.
The Taliban realised they had murdered a senior Reuters reporter. They moved a Humvee (an SUV) over his head and chest out of desperation.
The Afghan intelligence agencies are baffled as to why the Taliban used a Humvee to crush his head. They believe it was either out of a desperate hatred for an Indian journalist working for Reuters who was mistakenly believed to be working with the Afghan Army against the Taliban, or it was to make the body completely unrecognizable.
These details have been shared with their Indian counterparts by Afghan intelligence agencies.
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