Militants assaulted a health facility in Orakzai, Pakistan, on Tuesday, as part of a targeted strike against an anti-polio campaign. The attack resulted in the deaths of two police officers; three assailants were also killed in the ensuing shootout. The incident occurred in the morning as health workers and police, there for their protection, prepared for a door-to-door vaccination drive. Orakzai is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which was once a Taliban stronghold.
The assault sparked swift condemnation from Pakistan's top political figures, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who praised the police for their bravery. No polio workers were injured. Tuesday also saw militants strike another health center in North Waziristan, where they warned health workers against participating in the vaccination effort.
Such attacks highlight militant groups' ongoing aggression against polio eradication campaigns, which they allege are Western ploys. Pakistan, alongside Afghanistan, remains among the last countries grappling with endemic polio spread. Pakistan on Monday launched its third nationwide vaccination effort of the year in hopes of immunizing 45 million children. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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