Gunmen kill two police officers guarding polio vaccination teams in northwestern Pakistan

Gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead two police officers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, northwestern Pakistan, on Tuesday. The officers had been assigned to protect polio vaccination workers. A third officer was wounded.

The officers were travelling to a nearby village to protect polio vaccination teams when they were attacked. No group had claimed responsibility at the time of reporting.

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and other armed groups have regularly attacked polio vaccination drives and the police who protect them. These groups claim that vaccination campaigns are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilise children. Both Al Jazeera and the South China Morning Post describe this claim as false.

Details of the attack

According to the South China Morning Post, the shooting took place in Mohmand, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that borders Afghanistan. Al Jazeera does not name the district.

Al Jazeera reports that the attackers opened fire on a police car. The South China Morning Post reports that the attackers fled the scene. It also reports that the attack happened during a door-to-door polio vaccination campaign.

Wider context

According to Al Jazeera, four police officers protecting polio workers were abducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the day before the shooting. Al Jazeera reports that they had not been found at the time of reporting and that search efforts were under way. The reports do not establish whether the two incidents are linked.

Al Jazeera also reports that a targeted vaccination drive launched on Sunday aims to reach nearly 24 million children in 97 high-risk districts. On Sunday, health authorities registered Pakistan's eighth polio case of the year, in a 13-month-old girl from Khyber district, according to Al Jazeera. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has six of this year's cases and Sindh has two. Pakistan reported 31 cases last year. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic, Al Jazeera reports.

What each side says

"Two police personnel were martyred and another was injured in the attack. However, no polio vaccination staff were present in the police vehicle," police official Ali Rehman Khan told the AFP news agency, according to Al Jazeera.

Police officer Ayaz Khan said the officers were travelling to guard vaccination teams when they came under fire, according to the South China Morning Post.

President Asif Ali Zardari called the shooting "extremely regrettable and condemnable" in a post on X, according to Al Jazeera. "Police personnel deployed to protect polio teams are performing a national duty; their sacrifices will not be forgotten," he wrote.

What is not known

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not identify the officers who were killed or describe the condition of the wounded officer. They do not give the time of the attack or say who carried it out. They do not say whether vaccination work in the area was suspended.

Analysis

The shooting came during a large vaccination drive, and Al Jazeera reports a separate abduction of officers guarding polio workers the day before. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not show whether the two incidents are connected. Several outcomes are possible. Authorities could increase security for vaccination teams. Campaigns in affected areas could also face delays. Any interruption may matter because Pakistan remains one of two countries where wild poliovirus is endemic. Without a claim of responsibility, it is not clear who carried out the attack. Further official statements or investigation findings may clarify the circumstances.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.