Policemen Killed Amid Pakistan Polio Vaccination Drives

In Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 15 policemen guarding polio vaccinators have been killed, and 36 others injured in militant attacks this year till May. Militant groups target these drives, declaring them un-Islamic. Pakistan remains one of the few countries where polio is still endemic.

In a troubling trend, 15 policemen guarding polio vaccinators were killed and 36 others injured in militant attacks in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this year up to May, according to official data.

Militants have labeled polio vaccination campaigns as un-Islamic and in direct defiance of Sharia law.

Reports from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police indicated that these attacks, occurring over the past five months, highlight the intense risks faced by polio eradication teams in the region.

Among the provinces, the Bajaur tribal district suffered the highest number of casualties, with seven officers killed. Other significant areas of conflict included Bannu, Tank, South Waziristan, Khyber, Lakki Marwat, Mardan, and North Waziristan.

Moreover, militant groups have been actively discouraging local populations from participating in polio vaccination efforts, leaving children under the age of five vulnerable. Even in more educated districts, resistance to vaccination persists.

According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the last strongholds where polio is still endemic.