Two security personnel assigned to protect a polio vaccination team were shot dead in a targeted attack on Wednesday in Balochistan’s Mastung district.
The ambush took place in Mastung district, where members of the Levies Force were guarding a health team administering oral polio vaccines as part of a nationwide campaign, Express News reported.
According to Levies officials, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the officers without warning. The deceased were transported to a local hospital, and a search operation was launched in the area.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Attacks on polio teams and their security details have occurred intermittently in Pakistan, one of the few countries where the virus remains endemic.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault, expressing grief over the deaths and extending prayers for the victims and their families.
“Those who harm innocent people and disrupt public health efforts are enemies of humanity,” Sharif said in a statement, vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He reaffirmed the government’s determination to eradicate polio from Pakistan, stating, “Such incidents will not weaken our resolve.”
The prime minister called on parents to ensure their children receive polio drops to secure their future, and said the national campaign would proceed with full force.
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.
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