In Peshawar, Pakistan, a tragic incident occurred as two assailants on a motorcycle targeted a police officer guarding a group of polio workers during a vaccination campaign in northwestern Pakistan, resulting in the officer’s death. This marks the second attack on the anti-polio campaign in the country within two days. The assault transpired in Bannu, located in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the gunmen opened fire on the policeman standing at a street corner before fleeing the scene, as reported by police officer Nasrullah Khan.
A day before this incident, a similar attack unfolded in Bajur, also within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where gunmen on motorcycles killed a polio worker and a police escort. No group has yet claimed responsibility for these attacks, instilling fear among polio workers. National authorities recently initiated a new polio vaccination campaign with augmented security measures to safeguard the polio workers.
Earlier in the same province, South Waziristan district, on Monday, a roadside bombing targeted a vehicle carrying officers responsible for protecting polio workers, injuring six officers and three civilians. The militant group Islamic State later asserted responsibility for this attack.
In Pakistan, anti-polio efforts are frequently disrupted by violence, with militants targeting vaccination teams and their police guards. The militants propagate false claims that these campaigns are part of a Western plot to sterilize children. In 2021 alone, Pakistan has confirmed 17 new cases of polio, posing a significant setback to the country’s longstanding endeavors to eradicate the disease. Polio chiefly affects children under the age of 5 and is usually transmitted through contaminated water. Among all countries globally, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two where polio transmission has never been halted.
