Pakistan police officer killed as polio vaccination drive starts

Pakistan police officer killed as polio vaccination drive starts

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA
Pakistan police officer killed as polio vaccination drive starts

The Pakistani Taliban claimed the killing of a police officer as he traveled on Monday to guard polio vaccinators on the first day of a nationwide immunization effort after a year of rising cases.

The officer was traveling to guard polio vaccinators in the area of Jamrud town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was killed, local police official Zarmat Khan told AFP.

"Two motorcycle riders opened fire on him," he said. "The constable died instantly at the scene."

Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio is endemic and militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.

The Pakistani Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility for the "targeted attack" and said militants also "seized" the slain officer's weapon.

Pakistan reported at least 73 polio infections in 2024, compared to just six cases in 2023. The vaccination campaign which started on Monday is the first of the year and is due to last a week.

"Despite the incident, the polio vaccination drive in the area remains ongoing," Khan said.

Polio can easily be prevented by the oral administration of a few drops of vaccine, but scores of vaccination workers and their escorts have been killed over the years.

In the past, clerics falsely claimed that the vaccine contained pork or alcohol, declaring it forbidden for Muslims.

In more recent years the attacks have focused on vulnerable police escorts accompanying the vaccinators as they go door-to-door.