Authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have claimed responsibility for the Friday shooting death of an anti-polio worker in the Bajaur area. Terrorists are known to regularly attack vaccination teams.
The only nations where the crippling virus that can cause lifelong disability, polio, is still prevalent are Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Certain areas along the mountainous border have not been vaccinated because terrorist groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have attacked vaccination crews.
Authorities in Bajaur said that “unidentified persons” shot and killed an anti-polio worker who was performing his regular duties. According to senior police officer Kashif Zulfiqar, who spoke to AFP, “The attackers successfully fled on a motorcycle.” He added that the coordinator was flown to Peshawar by helicopter but later passed away in the hospital.
He defined the incident as “an act of militancy” and stated that the police are “conducting further investigations” into the violent incident. A second individual was admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment after being shot in the shoulder and leg.
Authorities in Bajaur said last week that seven officers who had been sent to safeguard polio vaccination workers were killed by a roadside bomb.
Following the US CIA’s orchestration of a false vaccination campaign to aid in the capture of Osama bin Laden, the opposition against inoculation intensified.
As the nation gears up to cast its ballots in three weeks, its security situation continues to worsen.
The Centre for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad reports that last year’s casualties reached a six-year high, with over 1,500 individuals killed, including civilians, security forces, and militants.
Kabul dismisses Pakistan’s accusation that the Taliban administration of Afghanistan is providing sanctuary to militants who oppose Islamabad.
