PESHAWAR: A bomb targeting a polio protection team in northwestern Pakistan Monday killed at least five police officers, officials said.
“A police truck transporting around 25 policemen for anti-polio campaign duties was targeted by an IED (improvised explosive device),” Anwar ul Haq, a senior government official in Bajaur district, told AFP.
He said at least five police officers were killed and at least 20 others were wounded.
Kashif Zulfiqar, a senior police officer in the district, confirmed the death toll.
SPONSORED CONTENT RM20bil green steel project: Sabah on its way to adopting green technology, says Hajiji Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said Sabah is well on its way to fully adopting the green technology revolution with a RM20 billion green steel project at the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (Sogip). Read more The attack happened in Mamund in Bajaur district, on the border with Afghanistan, in an area where militancy has been rising since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamist militants, including the Pakistan Taliban, have killed scores of polio vaccination workers and their security escorts in the past.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.