2 killed in attack on polio vaccinators in northwest Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - At least two people were killed in an armed attack on a polio vaccination team in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, police said.

The incident, the latest in a series of attacks on polio vaccinators, occurred in Salarzai town of Bajaur tribal district, which borders neighboring Afghanistan.

District police chief Waqas Rafoq told reporters that gunmen opened fire on the polio vaccinators engaged in administering a vaccine to the children in the area, killing a policeman and a polio vaccinator.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, however, militants loyal to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have long been targeting polio vaccinators in southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death.

Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are marred by violence. Militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them.