Pak Major Who Captured Abhinandan Varthaman Killed in Taliban Clash

A Pakistani Major died on Tuesday during an army operation in the Sararogha area of South Waziristan, Pakistan. The clash was with fighters from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah,37, had previously claimed to have captured Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman in 2019.

Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, attended Major Shah’s funeral, which was held with full military honours in his native village in Rawalpindi. In a statement from the military's media wing (ISPR), General Munir praised Major Shah, saying he "fought bravely" and "laid down his life in the line of duty, upholding the highest traditions of bravery."

After his death, local media reported that Major Shah was the same officer who, as a captain, had captured Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman after his fighter jet was shot down over Pakistani territory in 2019.

An old video clip of Shah describing the capture to a news channel has resurfaced on social media.

According to PTI, the operation in which Major Shah was killed resulted in the death of 11 TTP terrorists. Another soldier, Lance Naik Jibran Ullah, 27, was also killed in the same fight.

Shah was commissioned into the Pakistani Army in 2011. However, he later became part of the Special Services Group (SSG) and was currently serving in the volatile Waziristan region.

The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, is a group of militant outfits formed in 2007. It aims to enforce its own strict version of Islamic law in Pakistan and has been responsible for many deadly attacks in the country.