2016 Pathankot attack

On January 2 2016, 4 militants belonging to Islamic terrorist United Jihad Council attacked the Indian Air Force's Pathankot Airbase, part of its Western Air Command.

Four attackers and two security forces personnel were killed in the initial battle, with an additional security force member dying from injuries hours later. 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. 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.

The attack received wide international condemnation. Though the United Jihad Council, a Kashmir-based militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack on 4 January, the attackers, who were wearing Indian Army fatigues, were subsequently suspected to belong to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, a group designated a terrorist organisation by India, the US, the UK and the UN.

The attack led to a breakdown in India-Pakistan relations, which remained largely unresolved as of September 2023. Media reports suggested that the attack was an attempt to derail a fragile peace process meant to stabilise the deteriorated relations between India and Pakistan, as several pieces of evidence were found linking the attackers to Pakistan.

Shahid Latif, a senior Jaish-e-Mohammed commander and mastermind of the attack was assassinated by unknown gunmen on October 10 2023. Latif, along with his brother and bodyguards, were targeted at dawn in a mosque in Daska, Pakistan.