In PESHAWAR, Pakistan, suspected militants riding on a motorcycle shot and killed a police officer assigned to protect polio workers in a region in northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Wednesday. This incident marks the latest in a series of deadly attacks targeting polio workers in the area.
The attack occurred in Bajur, a district located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and a previous stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban. The tragic event unfolded just days after authorities had initiated a vaccination drive in the region. Nasir Khan, a police official, confirmed that an investigation into the attack is currently underway.
No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the heinous act as yet. Shockingly, more than 200 polio workers and the accompanying police personnel tasked with safeguarding them have lost their lives in Pakistan since the 1990s, as reported by health officials and authorities.
Pakistan, alongside its neighbor Afghanistan, stands as the only two countries where polio remains uncured. In the year 2024, Pakistan documented a minimum of 74 polio cases, with an additional two cases reported since the onset of January.
Despite facing continuous threats and attacks on polio workers and law enforcement personnel involved in vaccination campaigns, Pakistan diligently continues to launch initiatives against polio. Tragically, militants falsely propagate that these vaccination efforts are part of a Western conspiracy designed to sterilize children.
