ISLAMABAD, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Two policemen deployed to protect polio vaccination teams were killed in separate attacks by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, police said.
The attacks took place within a span of two hours in the Salarzai area of Bajaur district on the first day of a four-day anti-polio campaign across the province, Jamal Shah, Salarzai deputy superintendent of police, told the media.
The injured policemen were shifted to a nearby hospital, but later succumbed to their wounds, he added.
Police launched search operations in the area, and an investigation was underway, according to the official.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks, describing them as a cowardly act targeting personnel working to protect the future of children, and paid tribute to the slain policemen for their sacrifice. ■