A police constable was martyred and a militant killed during an exchange of fire on Monday in South Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Monday.
According to police, the incident occurred while the constable was on duty as part of the security arrangements for the ongoing nationwide anti-polio campaign.
Unidentified assailants opened fire on the security team, prompting a retaliatory response in which one attacker was killed.
Authorities recovered several weapons and items from the deceased militant, including a rocket launcher, a machine gun, two motorcycles, a national identity card, three ATM cards, and a smartphone.
The attack comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the second nationwide polio eradication campaign of 2025, which is scheduled to run from April 21 to April 27.
Polio workers and their security escorts have frequently come under attack, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In 2024, at least 20 people were killed and 53 injured in similar incidents during polio vaccination drives in K-P.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio remains endemic.
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