Four Security Personnel Martyred in KP Attacks Amid Polio Drive
Four security personnel, including two police officers deployed for the protection of polio vaccination teams, were martyred in separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as Pakistan began a fresh nationwide immunisation campaign targeting millions of children. The incidents took place on Monday in Bajaur, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and South Waziristan, highlighting the continuing security risks faced by law enforcement personnel in sensitive districts.
Police officials said the first two attacks occurred in Bajaur district, near the Afghan border, where officers assigned to safeguard polio teams were targeted by gunmen after completing their duty. The policemen were reportedly returning home when armed assailants opened fire and fled the area. The killings came as Pakistan launched a new drive to vaccinate nearly 19 million children against poliovirus.
In another incident, a police constable was shot dead near Yarik Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan. According to police, Constable Abdul Aziz had stepped out to a nearby hotel when unidentified attackers fired at him. He sustained fatal injuries at the scene, while the attackers escaped before security personnel reached the location.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack on the policemen providing security to polio teams in Bajaur. He expressed grief over the martyrdom of Qadir and Aziz and offered condolences to their families. The prime minister said the government would continue the polio eradication campaign with full resolve and remained determined to eliminate terrorism from the country.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also condemned the attacks and sought a detailed report from the provincial police chief. His response reflected growing concern over the repeated targeting of police personnel, health teams and local security officials in parts of the province where militant activity has remained a serious challenge.
Pakistan’s polio programme has frequently faced violence from extremist elements who spread false claims about vaccination campaigns. Health workers and the police officers assigned to protect them have repeatedly been attacked in past years, making immunisation efforts in high-risk districts especially difficult. Officials have said more than 200 polio workers and security personnel linked to vaccination campaigns have been killed since the 1990s.
Separately, a Federal Constabulary official identified as Mujib was martyred in Tank district after gunmen opened fire on him while he was travelling from Ali Khel village toward Tank city. Police said he was on leave and had returned home before being targeted on Ali Khel Road within the limits of Saddar Police Station.
The violence also extended to South Waziristan, where a blast in Wana Bazaar killed tribal elder Malik Tariq Wazir and two others, while several people were injured. Rescue teams shifted the wounded to hospital, and police and security forces cordoned off the area to begin investigations. Authorities had not immediately confirmed the exact nature of the explosion.
The attacks are likely to intensify security reviews around polio operations, particularly in Bajaur and other vulnerable districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Officials are expected to continue the vaccination campaign under tightened security, while investigators pursue those involved in the shootings and the Wana blast.