Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Major Who Captured Abhinandan in 2019 Killed in Anti-TTP Operation

At his funeral in Rawalpindi, Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir praised Shah’s bravery following the intelligence-led operation that killed him in South Waziristan.

In the photo: Pakistani Army officer Moiz Abbas Shah (left). Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was part of the Combat Air Patrol responding to the intrusion, was captured after his jet was shot down over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2019.
Image
Image
Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir attended the funeral prayer of Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah. (File photo)

Overview

  • Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah died on June 24, 2025, while leading an intelligence-based operation against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants in Sararogha, South Waziristan.
  • Lance Naik Jibran Ullah was also killed in the same firefight that Pakistani forces said eliminated 11 TTP fighters and wounded seven others.
  • Shah served in the army’s elite Special Services Group and rose to prominence in 2019 after capturing and protecting Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
  • The TTP is a banned militant Islamist group active along Pakistan’s tribal areas and has carried out numerous attacks since ending its ceasefire in November 2022.
  • Pakistan’s military continues clearance operations in Waziristan as senior officials underscore a sustained counter-terrorism campaign.