Militants Kill 2 Police Guarding Pakistan Polio Vaccinators
(MENAFN) Suspected militants shot dead at least two police officers escorting polio vaccinators in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, the country’s government interior authority said.
A third officer was wounded in the assault in the Mohmand tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police said the slain officers were heading to join a vaccination team when they came under fire.
The attack is the latest in a string of strikes on immunization workers and their escorts. It came two days after a new nationwide polio drive began on Sunday, aiming to reach nearly 24 million children in 97 high-risk districts.
No group has claimed responsibility. Security forces suspect fighters linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has a long record of targeting vaccination teams.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Pakistan has recorded eight cases this year.
A third officer was wounded in the assault in the Mohmand tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police said the slain officers were heading to join a vaccination team when they came under fire.
The attack is the latest in a string of strikes on immunization workers and their escorts. It came two days after a new nationwide polio drive began on Sunday, aiming to reach nearly 24 million children in 97 high-risk districts.
No group has claimed responsibility. Security forces suspect fighters linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has a long record of targeting vaccination teams.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Pakistan has recorded eight cases this year.
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