Moiz Abbas Shah, Pak officer who captured IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman in 2019, killed

The Pakistani special forces officer who claimed the capture of Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman during the 2019 Balakot airstrike has reportedly been killed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan.

Major Syed Muiz, a commando of the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group (SSG), has allegedly been killed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), sources told NDTV on Wednesday. The TTP — an Islamist insurgent group with deep roots along the Pak-Afghan frontier — has claimed responsibility for his death during an armed confrontation in the Sarargoha region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Gained prominence in 2019 following India’s daring Balakot airstrikes

Major Muiz had gained prominence in 2019 following India’s daring Balakot airstrikes - a retaliation to the deadly Pulwama terror attack that claimed the lives of 40 Indian CRPF personnel. Muiz reportedly took credit for the capture of Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who had flown his aging MiG-21 Bison into battle and downed a Pakistani F-16 before being shot down over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The pilot ejected into enemy territory and was taken into custody by the Pakistani military, spending nearly 60 hours in captivity. His eventual release was a result of immense diplomatic pressure mounted by India and the international community.

“Group Captain Varthaman, then a Wing Commander, became a national hero after shooting down a Pak F-16 fighter jet - in a generation-older MiG 21 - during aerial combat on February 27,” the report recounted.

Varthaman was promoted to Group Captain and awarded the prestigious Vir Chakra in November 2021.

The 2019 Balakot strike, launched just days after the Pulwama carnage, was a high-stakes display of Indian resolve. Twelve Mirage-2000 jets of the Indian Air Force soared 20 km across the Line of Control to obliterate Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps entrenched in Pakistan's Balakot region. The entire precision mission was wrapped up in under 20 minutes.

The terrorist behind the Pulwama attack, Adil Ahmad Dar, was trained by JeM — a proscribed Pakistan-based militant group that has long found safe haven across the border.