Pakistani Major Moiz Abbas Shah, known for his involvement in the 2019 capture of Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, was among two security personnel killed during a recent clash with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
The Pakistan Army announced that an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in South Waziristan resulted in the deaths of 11 “Indian-sponsored” terrorists, while two security personnel, including Major Shah, were martyred. The operation targeted a TTP stronghold at the Khwarij location, where troops engaged militants in fierce combat.
“During the conduct of the operation, our troops effectively engaged the Khwarij location,” the military statement said. “Eleven Indian-sponsored Khwarij have been killed, and seven injured by security forces.”
This confrontation follows heightened tensions after India’s February 26, 2019, airstrike on a terrorist training camp in Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, conducted in retaliation for the Pulwama terror attack. In response, Pakistan launched a fleet of fighter jets targeting Indian military installations, which led to an aerial dogfight along the Line of Control (LoC).
During the skirmish, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of the Indian Air Force, serving in Srinagar’s 51 Squadron, was shot down and captured after ejecting over Pakistani territory. The incident sparked a diplomatic crisis between the two nations on February 27, 2019. He was later returned to India by Pakistan on the night of March 1, 2019.
