Militants Kill Police Escorts Protecting Polio Vaccination Teams In Pakistan
(MENAFN) Suspected militants shot dead at least two police officers assigned to protect polio vaccination workers in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry.
A third officer was wounded in the assault in the Mohmand tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The attack occurred as Pakistan launched a nationwide polio immunization drive on Sunday, aiming to vaccinate nearly 24 million children across 97 districts identified as high-risk areas.
Police said the officers were traveling to join a vaccination team when gunmen targeted them. No organization had claimed responsibility for the incident at the time of reporting.
Security officials suspect that the attackers were linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group that has repeatedly targeted polio vaccination teams and personnel providing security for the campaigns.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is endemic, making vaccination efforts in both countries a critical part of the global campaign to eradicate the disease.
Pakistan has recorded eight polio infections so far this year.
A third officer was wounded in the assault in the Mohmand tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The attack occurred as Pakistan launched a nationwide polio immunization drive on Sunday, aiming to vaccinate nearly 24 million children across 97 districts identified as high-risk areas.
Police said the officers were traveling to join a vaccination team when gunmen targeted them. No organization had claimed responsibility for the incident at the time of reporting.
Security officials suspect that the attackers were linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group that has repeatedly targeted polio vaccination teams and personnel providing security for the campaigns.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is endemic, making vaccination efforts in both countries a critical part of the global campaign to eradicate the disease.
Pakistan has recorded eight polio infections so far this year.
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