PESHAWAR, Pakistan — On Wednesday, a police officer responsible for the safety of polio vaccination teams was shot and killed by suspected militants on a motorcycle in Bajur, a district situated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which shares a border with Afghanistan. This incident marks another tragic occurrence in a growing trend of violence against individuals involved in polio eradication efforts in the country.

The attack took place shortly after local authorities initiated a new vaccination campaign aimed at combating polio. Police official Nasir Khan stated that an investigation into the shooting is currently ongoing. As of now, no group has come forward to take responsibility for this targeted attack.

Since the 1990s, over 200 polio workers and the police officers designated to protect them have lost their lives in Pakistan due to similar acts of violence, reported health officials and public authorities.

Currently, Pakistan, along with its neighboring country Afghanistan, is among the last two nations grappling with polio, a disease that has not been fully eradicated. In 2024, Pakistan documented at least 74 polio cases, with two new infections reported since January of this year.

Regardless of the risks posed by militant attacks on vaccination teams and their security personnel, Pakistan continues to advance its polio vaccination campaigns. This persistence occurs despite the harmful narratives propagated by militants, who claim that the immunization drives are part of a Western scheme intended to sterilize children.