Two security personnel guarding a polio vaccination team were shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, police said.
The incident took place in the Teeri area of ??Mastung district, where Levies personnel protecting the polio vaccination team were attacked by masked gunmen, Assistant Commissioner Akram Harifal told the media.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, militants frequently target polio vaccinators in Pakistan, terming them un-Islamic and against Sharia.
"One of them died on the spot while the other expired as he was moved to a hospital,” Harifal said.
He said that security for the polio vaccination teams has been increased after the attack. This is not the first time that security personnel providing security to polio vaccination teams have been killed in Pakistan. In the past, even female health workers have been attacked and killed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack on the polio vaccination team, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
“Terrorists who harm the lives and properties of innocent people are enemies of humanity and will be brought to justice,” he said.
Such incidents cannot deter the government's commitment to eradicating polio from the country, he said, adding that the anti-polio campaign will continue with determination.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind condemned the attack, saying “a thorough investigation into the incident was underway”.
“The provincial government will not allow the polio campaign to be sabotaged under any circumstances,” he added.