Bombing kills cop assigned to anti-polio team

Author: Agencies

A roadside bombing targeted a police vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, killing a policeman and wounding three others, officials said. The police were assigned to escort health workers during an anti-polio vaccination campaign in the region.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Kolachi, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. Pakistan regularly carries out anti-polio drives, despite attacks and threats by the Taliban who claim the campaign is a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.

Security forces were searching the area for the attackers, said police official Wahid Khan. No polio workers were travelling with the police at the time of the bombing, he added.

Attacks on anti-polio campaigns increased in the years following revelations that a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign was used as a ruse by the CIA in the hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed by US commandos in 2011 in Pakistan.

The latest attack came after Pakistan on Monday launched a three-day nationwide vaccination campaign against the crippling disease.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only three countries in the world where polio is still endemic. Pakistan had hoped to make the country polio-free in 2018 but failed to meet the target because of a sudden surge in the new polio cases. Since January, 17 new cases of polio have been reported in Pakistan.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Technology

Digital Innovation: Transforming Pakistan’s Trade Infrastructure

  Pakistan's logistics industry stands at a critical crossroads, grappling with significant challenges that impede…

6 hours ago
  • Top Stories

EU expresses concern over military court sentences against May 9 rioters

The European Union (EU) has expressed concern over the sentencing of 25 individuals involved in…

6 hours ago
  • Pakistan

Ahsan Kamray Elected President of Lahore Garrison University Alumni Association

Lahore Garrison University (LGU) celebrated a milestone event as its Department of Mass Communication organized…

6 hours ago
  • Fashion

Neo Hum Bridal Couture Week 2024: Grand Finale Celebrates Fashion and Social Change

Lahore, Pakistan – December 22, 2024 – The highly anticipated finale of Neo Hum Bridal…

7 hours ago
  • Top Stories

US lifts $10 million bounty on new Syrian leader after talks in Damascus

The United States has removed a $10 million bounty on Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of…

7 hours ago
  • Pakistan

Accountability Court postpones verdict in £190 million case

An accountability court hearing the £190 million case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan…

7 hours ago