Policeman Escorting Polio Team Killed in NW Pakistan Attack

A policeman escorting a polio vaccination team was shot dead by unidentified militants in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday morning, official sources reported.

The attack occurred around 9:20 a.m. local time (GMT 0420) in the Khyber district, where the officer was on duty as part of an ongoing polio immunization campaign. The assailants fled the scene after seizing the officer’s submachine gun, sources confirmed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities noted an increase in militant activity in the region, including from factions linked to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Police have cordoned off the area, and an investigation is underway.

The attack comes just a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched a nationwide anti-polio campaign, reaffirming his government’s commitment to eradicating the disease from the country.