PESHAWAR: A search was underway in Pakistan’s northwest after gunmen ambushed and opened fire on a police vehicle, killing two people and injuring another two, an official said Saturday.
The assault took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan and has borne the brunt of militant violence since the Pakistani Taliban unilaterally ended a ceasefire with the central government in November 2022.
The province is a former stronghold of the militant group, which is also known as the TTP and allied with the Afghan Taliban.
Police officer Tariq Khan said the attackers shot and killed a deputy superintendent and a constable in Lakki Marwat district.
Heavy police reinforcements arrived at the scene but assailants fled. Khan did not say how many attackers there were.
Umar Marwat, a militant commander from the district, claimed responsibility for the attack and alleged the deputy superintendent had been active in operations against the TTP in the area.
The TTP spokesperson has not issued a statement about the assault so far.
In a separate incident, in the province’s Bajaur tribal district, one police officer was killed and another was injured on Saturday in a roadside blast. Police official Zahid Khan said the initial investigation suggested it was an improvised explosive.
Also Saturday, Pakistan’s army said that security forces killed eight militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district.
According to an official statement, the eight men died after an intense exchange of fire in the Friday night operation. The army alleged they were actively involved in activities against security forces and the targeted killing of civilians.
The statement said that weapons, ammunition, and explosives were recovered from the slain militants.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in Lakki Marwat and offered his condolences to victims’ families. He praised the army for its operation in Dera Ismail Khan.
Manhunt underway after police car ambush kills two in northwestern Pakistan
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Manhunt underway after police car ambush kills two in northwestern Pakistan
- The incident in Lakki Marwat led to the killing of a deputy superintendent involved in operations against the TTP
- It is not clear how many attackers were involved but they fled by the time police reinforcements arrived in the area
Pakistan to launch last 2025 anti-polio nationwide drive targeting 45 million children next week
- Over 400,000 frontline health workers will participate in Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, say authorities
- Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, the other being Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic
KARACHI: Pakistan will kick off the last nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2025 targeting 45 million children next week, the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said on Monday, urging parents to coordinate with health workers during the drive.
The campaign takes place days after Pakistan launched a nationwide vaccination drive from Nov. 17-29 against measles, rubella and polio. Pakistan said it had targeted 22.9 million children across 89 high-risk districts in the country with oral polio vaccination drops during the drive.
Over 400,000 health workers will perform their duties during the upcoming Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, the NEOC said in a statement.
“Parents are urged to cooperate with polio workers and ensure their children are vaccinated,” the NEOC said. “Complete the routine immunization schedule for all children up to 15 months of age on time.”
Health authorities aim to vaccinate 23 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, over 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 2.6 million in Balochistan, more than 460,000 in Islamabad, over 228,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan and more than 760,000 children in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during the seven-day campaign, it added.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.
Islamabad’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.
