Vaccination drive: Levies officials escorting polio team targeted in Tank

The men are said to be in stable condition.


Zulfiqar Ali April 19, 2013
On April 11, gunmen opened fire on two policemen escorting female vaccinators in Mardan district PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:


Unidentified men opened fired on a vehicle carrying levies personnel, who were escorting a polio team on Friday in Kot Khadaqi of Gomal village, nearly 25 kilometres west of Tank city.


The attack resulted in two levies officials getting injured, a police official said. The injured were identified as Ayaz Khan and Jan Alam, who were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital. The men are said to be in stable condition.

Police said the accused managed to escape.



On April 11, gunmen opened fire on two policemen escorting female vaccinators in Mardan district, while on  January 29, a policeman escorting a vaccination team was shot dead in Gullo Dheri area of Swabi. Similarly, gunmen shot dead another police escort in Khavo Kally area of Sheikh Maltoon Town, Mardan, on February 26.

The attacks spiralled in December last year when nine health workers were killed in Karachi, Peshawar and Charsadda in apparently coordinated attacks.

The World Health Organization had temporarily suspended polio vaccination campaigns following the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2013.

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