Pakistani Police Guard Killed In New Polio-Worker Attack

Pakistani officials postponed the UN-backed polio drive in January following several attacks on vaccination teams in different cities that claimed at least nine lives.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A Pakistani policeman has been shot dead while protecting a polio vaccination team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The shooting in the country's northwest was the latest in a series of deadly attacks on polio-vaccination teams in Pakistan.

Police told RFE/RL the policeman was guarding a two-member team when it came under fire in the Mardan district.

Dr. Abdul Wahab, who is in charge of the campaign, said the vaccination drive in the area has not been halted.

In January, the authorities postponed the UN-backed polio drive following several attacks on vaccination teams in different cities that claimed at least nine lives.

No one has claimed responsibility for the February 26 attack, but the Taliban has alleged the campaign is a cover for spying and a plot to sterilize Muslims.

With reporting by AFP