Reuters reporter killed covering Afghan security forces battling Taliban fighters

A Reuters journalist was killed Friday while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters, the wire service reports. 

Reuters has identified the journalist as Danish Siddiqui and said it was notified by Afghan commander about his death near a border crossing with Pakistan.

Afghan special forces had been fighting to retake a market area in the region when Siddiqui and a senior Afghan officer were killed in what they described as Taliban crossfire, the official told Reuters.

Siddiqui was embedded as a journalist with the special forces and was reporting on fighting between Afghan commandos and Taliban fighters.

"Danish was an outstanding journalist, a devoted husband and father, and a much-loved colleague. Our thoughts are with his family at this terrible time,” Reuters President Michael Friedenberg and editor in chief Alessandra Galloni said in a joint statement.

Siddiqui was reportedly wounded in the arm by shrapnel earlier Friday before being killed later that day when the Taliban attacked again, the wire service also said.

He was part of the Reuters photography team to win the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis.