In a brazen assault on a public health initiative, unidentified gunmen targeted a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s volatile northwestern region on Tuesday. The attack resulted in the fatal shooting of a police officer assigned to protect the health workers and an innocent bystander, according to local law enforcement authorities.
The incident unfolded in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a strategically sensitive area bordering Afghanistan. Local Police Chief Samad Khan confirmed that while the security personnel and civilian were killed, all members of the polio vaccination team emerged unharmed from the assault.
Although no militant organization has formally claimed responsibility for the attack, authorities suspect involvement by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and other extremist factions. These groups have been repeatedly implicated in similar assaults targeting health initiatives in the region.
This violence coincides with the launch of Pakistan’s ambitious week-long national immunization drive, which aims to vaccinate approximately 45 million children against the debilitating disease. The World Health Organization recognizes Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan as the final two countries where polio remains endemic, presenting a persistent global health challenge.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued an official statement condemning the attack and promising decisive action against the perpetrators. The government’s Polio Eradication Initiative reports notable progress, with documented cases dropping from 74 to 30 in year-over-year comparisons for the January period.
This incident reflects a persistent pattern of violence against health workers in Pakistan, where militants propagate conspiracy theories alleging vaccination campaigns serve as Western plots to sterilize Muslim children. Health and security officials estimate that more than 200 polio workers and their security escorts have been killed in such attacks since the 1990s.