Terror strikes polio drive: Cop killed on Day 1 of vaccination campaign in Pakistan

The incident took place on the first day of a nationwide anti-polio campaign, scheduled to run from April 13 to April 19.

According to a statement by the district police, “terrorists opened sudden fire on a police party,” resulting in the death of one officer and injuries to four others, as reported by Dawn News. The injured personnel were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police retaliated immediately, and Kohat Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Tariq said there were reports that two attackers were killed in the exchange of fire.

A search operation was launched soon after the incident to track down those responsible.

Polio vaccination teams—who conduct door-to-door immunisation drives—have frequently been targeted in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan regions.

In a similar incident earlier this year, a police officer was killed in Chaman in February when militants targeted a polio vaccination team.

Official data shows that since 2012, at least 96 people have been killed in such attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including 61 policemen, 27 health workers, and five civilians. Additionally, 170 people—among them 124 policemen, 28 health workers, and 21 civilians—have been injured in attacks on polio teams, according to Dawn News.