PESHAWAR: A policeman was martyred while another sustained serious injuries in terrorists attack on security team guarding anti-polio vaccinators in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Tank district on Saturday.
The police officials said that unidentified motorcyclists attacked the polio security team in the Chaddarah area. The police informed that heavy contingent of police rushed to the spot and the victims were shifted to nearby hospital.
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Confirming the attack, District Health Officer (DHO) Tank Dr Ehsanullah said that armed men on motorcycles attacked the polio security team. While District Police Officer (DPO) Tank Sajjad Ahmed said a search operation had been launched to find the attackers. The DPO said it was the second day of the polio vaccination drive and the area has been declared sensitive.
Last Friday, the security official along with foreign health officials visited the area and on the same day, a bomb weighing 4 kg was also recovered from the densely populated area of Tank district was defused by the bomb disposal squad.
The terror attacks on police guarding polio vaccinators have martyred dozens of policemen across KP. On 10 December, the government launched week-long vaccination drive across the province vaccinates 6.4 million children against the crippling disease. Dr Bangash was informed that 30,000 teams have been constituted for the seven day world health organisation sponsored drive. The KP government has said that 45,000 personnel would be deployed to provide security to the polio workers during the week-long vaccination campaign.
The banked Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack. Mohammad Khurasani the spokesman for the banned terror organisation said in a statement that the TTP has carried out the attack on the polio guarding the polio vaccinators. The group has ended that one month-long ceasefire after accusing the government for failure to fulfill their demands of release 120 hardcore militants from jails. The militant group said that despite ceasefire, the cecurity forces have conducted raids in Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Swat, Bajaur, Swabi and North Waziristan, killing and detaining the militants.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan condemned the attack and directed the police to take necessary steps for immediate arrest of those involved in the firing. Qaumi Watan Party spokesman Ahmad Nawaz condemned the attack on the polio team and expressed regret over the martyrdom of a policeman in the attack.