A police officer has been killed and four others injured in an armed attack targeting a security vehicle assigned to protect a polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan, highlighting ongoing threats to public health efforts.
The shooting took place in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border, shortly after Pakistan launched its second nationwide anti-polio campaign this year.
Local police official Mahmood Alam confirmed that security forces returned fire, killing two attackers.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion has fallen on Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and other armed factions that have previously carried out similar attacks in the region.
According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries in the world where polio has not been fully eradicated.
First Lady Asifa Bhutto Zardari urged families to ensure their children receive vaccinations during the week-long campaign, which aims to reach more than 45 million children under the age of five across the country.
She highlighted recent progress, noting that 31 polio cases were recorded nationwide in 2025, with only one case reported so far this year, while warning against complacency.
Pakistan continues to conduct regular vaccination drives despite persistent attacks on health workers and the police assigned to protect them. Militants have repeatedly spread false claims that polio vaccination campaigns are part of a foreign conspiracy, complicating efforts to eliminate the disease.
Follow the latest news on Google News
