ISLAMABAD, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- A security personnel was killed in a terrorist attack on a polio vaccination team in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said Tuesday.
According to a police statement, the slain personnel was guarding two female polio workers in the Matta area of Swat District when unidentified gunmen opened fire, killing him on the spot. The polio workers were unharmed.
The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Security forces launched a search operation following the incident.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the family of the slain officer. "Such terrorist acts targeting public health efforts are intolerable," he said, adding that the nationwide campaign will continue with "full determination."
The assault came a day after Pakistan launched its fourth national polio drive of 2025, aiming to immunize over 45 million children. Over 285 police personnel have been deployed nationwide to protect vaccination teams.
Pakistan is one of the last countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic. ■
