Gunmen Kill Two Policemen, Polio Worker In Pakistan

Pakistani police said gunmen opened fire on policemen escorting a team of polio workers, killing two policemen and a polio worker.

The gunmen on motorcycles, on Tuesday, orchestrated the attack during a door-to-door inoculation campaign in North Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The attack came a day after the government launched another nationwide anti-polio campaign amid a spike in attacks.

In North Waziristan, parents often refuse to inoculate their children against the Polio outbreak, as this has been a blow to the nation’s efforts to eradicate the disease, which can causes paralysis in children.

Islamic militants in the country often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them, as attacks have been increasing lately, adding to concerns the assaults could further jeopardize anti-polio campaigns.

During a polio campaign in March this year, gunmen shot and killed a female polio worker as she was returning home after a day of vaccinations.

Also in January, gunmen killed a police officer providing security for polio vaccination workers.