MOHMAND: Two police personnel were martyred and another injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on officers deployed to provide security for an anti-polio vaccination campaign in Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, police said.
The attack took place in the Dag Tamanzai area, where the policemen were heading to perform security duties for the polio campaign, according to police.
A search operation has been launched to arrest the attackers.
Polio vaccination teams and their security personnel have frequently come under attack in the militancy-hit provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with armed groups attempting to disrupt vaccination campaigns.
In September, two policemen guarding a polio team were martyred when unidentified gunmen opened fire in Nushki district of Balochistan.
The latest attack comes as Pakistan conducts a subnational polio vaccination campaign targeting about 24 million children across 97 districts, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre.
The campaign began on Nov. 2 and will continue until Nov. 8.
Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that has no cure and can cause lifelong paralysis and, in some cases, death. However, it can be prevented through safe and effective vaccination.
Pakistan has reported eight cases of wild poliovirus type 1 so far this year, including six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and two in Sindh.
