Police Officer Killed in Attack during Pakistan’s Polio Vaccination Drive

A police officer was shot dead in a targeted attack on Monday as he traveled to protect polio vaccinators in the northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The officer, identified as a constable, was on duty to provide security for the first day of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at combating the resurgence of the virus, which has seen rising cases over the past year.

According to local police official Zarmat Khan, two motorcycle riders opened fire on the officer as he was en route to Jamrud town, killing him instantly. “The constable died at the scene,” Khan confirmed.

The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, a stark reminder of the long-standing threat posed by militants to vaccination teams and their security personnel in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan—two of the last countries where polio remains endemic.