Militants kill police officer guarding polio team in Pakistan's tribal region

Gunmen shot and killed a police officer guarding a polio vaccination team on Wednesday in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, officials said, the latest in a string of attacks targeting the country's efforts to eradicate the crippling virus.

The officer, identified as Rab Dimal Shah, was providing security to health workers in the Dama Dola area of Bajaur district when attackers opened fire, District Police Officer Waqas Rafiq said. The attack occurred on the third day of a vaccination campaign that had already been delayed in parts of Bajaur due to security threats.

The killing marks the second fatal attack on polio security personnel this month. On February 3, police constable Abdul Khaliq was shot dead by motorcycle-riding assailants in Jamrud, an attack later claimed by the Pakistani Taliban.

The disease, which primarily affects children under five and can cause permanent paralysis, is preventable through oral vaccination. However, persistent security challenges, community resistance, and misinformation continue to hamper Pakistan's efforts to join the list of polio-free nations.

Officials say the vaccination drive will continue despite today's attack.

Cases, attacks trending up

Pakistan's fight against polio suffered significant setbacks in 2024, recording 70 cases compared to just six in 2023. The country, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains one of only two nations where the disease is still endemic.

Polio workers give polio vaccine drops to a child as police stand guard during a vaccination campaign in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province March 30, 2014. Reuters

Violence against vaccination teams and their security escorts has been a major obstacle to eradication efforts. Last year, targeted attacks by militants claimed the lives of 96 security personnel, including 61 police officials, according to Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department. An additional 172 security personnel were injured in these attacks.

That same month, a violent confrontation erupted in Karachi, Pakistan's largest metropolis, when family members attacked health workers and police during a routine vaccination drive, leading to six arrests.

Militants specifically target polio workers

Since 2012, more than 70 health workers have been killed in attacks targeting Pakistan's polio eradication program. Militants often target polio teams and their security escorts, claiming the immunization campaigns are a Western conspiracy.

Graph showing attacks on Polio workers in Pakistan from 2012 to 2024. Data: South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Nukta

The violence has intensified since 2022, after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of harboring militant groups that launch attacks across the border, a charge Afghanistan denies.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, acknowledging the "major setback" in 2024's eradication efforts, has repeatedly called for a renewed commitment to eliminate the disease. "We must eradicate polio from Pakistan at any cost," he stated during the launch of this year's first nationwide campaign.