Jaish-e-Mohammaed terrorist, and mastermind of the 2016 Pathankot attack Shahid Latif was gunned down in a mosque in Daska town of Sialkot district in Pakistan, officials have said, according to news agency PTI.

The 2016 Pathankot attack on an Indian Air Force (IAF) base saw four attackers and two security forces personnel die. Latif was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

On 2 January 2016, militants from Islamic separatist Kashmiri groups attacked the Indian Air Force's Pathankot Airbase, part of its Western Air Command.

The Islamic terrorist, also knows as Bilal is a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to reports, Latif was killed along with two of his associates by three gunmen.

Latif had infiltrated into the Kashmir Valley in 1993 and was arrested a year later. He was in Jammu jail with Masood Azhar, founder of the JeM, till 2010, officials said.

He was deported to Pakistan in 2010 following his release and formally joined the terror group, they said.

"This is the biggest blow to JeM on Pakistan soil," an official said.

Notably, with this Latif joins a small reported list of extremists, designated as terrorists by India under UAPA, mysteriously getting killed in other countries.

While Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar left the India-Canada diplomatic relations in a bittersweet symphony. In June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was gunned down on the grounds of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple.

In May 2023, Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar was shot dead by unrecognised assailants in Pakistan's Lahore. Reports had said, Panjwar's, one of the most wanted terrorist, was pumped with bullets fired from a 30 calibre pistol as he took his morning constitutional at Johar Town in Lahore along with his gunman.

What Is The 2016 Pathankot Attack?

Seven IAF personnel were killed when four JeM terrorists sneaked into the Pathankot Air Force Station on 2 January 2016. The siege went on for three days.

The gun battle and the subsequent combing operation lasted about 17 hours on 2 January, resulting in five attackers and three security personnel dead. Further three soldiers died after being admitted to hospital with injuries, raising the death toll to six soldiers.

Further three soldiers died after being admitted to hospital with injuries, raising the death toll to six soldiers. On 3 January, fresh gunshots were heard, and another security officer was killed by an IED explosion. The operation continued on 4 January, and a fifth attacker was confirmed killed.

Not until a final militant was reported killed on 5 January was the anti-militant operation declared over, though further searches continued for some time.