In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, over 100 police personnel responsible for securing polio vaccination teams went on strike on Thursday following a series of deadly militant attacks this week. These officers, who regularly protect vaccination workers conducting door-to-door campaigns, have become frequent targets of militants engaged in conflicts with security forces.
The region has witnessed numerous fatalities among police and polio workers over the past decade. Recent violence includes the deaths of at least two police officers and one polio worker since the latest vaccination drive commenced on Monday. On Thursday, one officer was killed while escorting a vaccination team. Additionally, a bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group on Monday injured nine people and targeted a polio team.
Most attacks in the region are attributed to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In the most recent incident, two motorcyclists targeted a police officer, although the nearby polio team was unharmed, according to District Police Officer Ziauddin Ahmed.
The surge in militant violence has coincided with a rise in polio cases in Pakistan, with 17 cases reported in 2024 compared to six in 2023. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic despite the availability of an effective vaccine.
Health officials had planned to vaccinate 30 million children in a week-long campaign, but the ongoing strike has hampered efforts. The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) notes a dramatic decline in global polio cases since the early 1990s, though resistance in certain border regions persists due to misinformation and opposition from some clerics.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has experienced an increase in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Islamabad has accused the Taliban government of failing to address militants operating from Afghan soil, a charge denied by Kabul.
