Polio team attacked: Police fight off militants

Attackers flee after exchange of fire, no casualties reported.

KATLANG:

Yet another polio vaccination team came under attack in the Katlang area of Mardan when suspected militants opened fire at the police van deployed for the security of the teams. Thankfully, there were no casualties.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Musarat Shah said that around 9:00am, he and other police officials were deployed at the Basic Health Unit in the Shero area to provide security to polio vaccination teams, when two militants opened fire on them.

“The men were hiding in a thicket and opened fire,” he said, adding that police returned fired, forcing the attackers to flee.

Shah said that after the incident heavy contingents of police rushed to the area and launched a search operation. However, no one was arrested.

An FIR was registered against the unknown assailants and the vaccinations continued under heavy security.

It wasn’t the first time that polio teams have come under attack in Mardan.  One such incident occurred on February 26th , when a police constable was gunned down by militants while escorting a polio vaccination team in the Khawo Kallay Ghala Dher area on the outskirts of Mardan.

Polio workers in most nearby districts have refused to vaccinate children due to inadequate security, and have demanded that the government increase their security cover.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and its allied militant outfits are considered to be linked to attacks on polio vaccinators in these areas, but in this case the TTP spokesman denied responsibility for the attack. He did however reiterate the terrorist outfit’s opposition to vaccinations, terming them un-Islamic and injurious to health.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2013.