PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A driver of a vehicle carrying a polio team was shot dead on Saturday in Khyber agency, one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous regions near the Afghan border.
The security officials said that the incident took place in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber agency where the vehicle came under attack by unknown miscreants.
Following the attack, the security forces reached the spot and cordoned off the area.
A search operation was launched in the area to trace the attackers.
Last year, Pakistan witnessed nearly 300 polio cases and remains to be one of the three countries in the world where polio is still categorized as an endemic viral infection.
But on the other hand, attempts to eradicate the crippling disease in the country have been badly hit by consistent attacks on polio vaccination teams.
The militant groups continue to target polio workers, claiming that the polio vaccination is a cover for espionage or a Western conspiracy to sterilise Muslims.
