Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

A wellness idiosyncratic collects information portion different writes numbers connected the partition of a location aft administrating a polio vaccine to children successful a vicinity of Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. The authorities launched polio vaccination drives crossed Pakistan successful efforts to eradicate the crippling illness by the extremity of the year. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudhry)

PESHAWAR – Gunmen connected Monday changeable and killed a constabulary serviceman assigned to support a polio vaccination squad successful northwestern Pakistan, an authoritative said. It was the 3rd onslaught successful 2 days connected Pakistani policemen assigned to support polio workers.

The deadly onslaught took spot successful the municipality of Kolachi successful the Dera Ismail Khan district. Officer Dilawar Khan was connected his motorcycle, heading to escort polio workers taking portion successful a nationwide run aimed astatine making Pakistan a polio-free state.

The gunmen fled the country and a constabulary hunt is underway, according to Mohammad Aslam, a section constabulary official.

Pakistani militants often people polio teams and constabulary assigned to support them, claiming the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.

Two attacks targeted constabulary moving with polio teams connected Sunday. In Peshawar, the superior of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, gunmen killed a policeman returning location aft information work with polio workers. And a roadside weaponry went disconnected adjacent a constabulary van escorting a polio vaccination squad successful the territory of South Waziristan, wounding an officer.

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None of the medics connected the polio teams were wounded successful these attacks. No 1 instantly claimed work for immoderate of the attacks.

Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the lone 2 remaining countries successful the satellite wherever polio is endemic, aft Nigeria was past twelvemonth declared escaped of the virus.

Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan's authorities launched different polio vaccination thrust successful an effort to eradicate the crippling illness by the extremity of the year. According to authorities, arsenic galore arsenic 23.6 cardinal children are to beryllium vaccinated successful this latest anti-polio drive.

On Sunday, Aimal Khan, a spokesperson for the anti-polio programme successful northwestern Pakistan, said the vaccination effort would proceed contempt the challenges with immoderate 17,000 trained workers going location to location to administer the vaccines successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to Shahzad Baig, who leads the anti-polio effort, determination has lone been 1 reported lawsuit of polio truthful acold successful 2021 successful Pakistan, compared to 66 during the aforesaid clip past year. On Monday, Baig appealed connected the parents to get their children vaccinated to support them from the crippling disease.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.