Web Desk: Authorities recovered three polio vaccination workers on Wednesday after they were abducted by unidentified militants in Bannu district, following coordinated efforts by police and local tribal elders, officials said.
The workers were taken from the Jhandu Khel area during an ongoing anti-polio drive, raising alarm among residents and prompting an immediate response from law enforcement.
District police, led by Bannu’s top officer, launched an operation soon after the abduction was reported. Officials said they worked closely with members of a local jirga, adopting a joint approach that combined security measures with community mediation.
The effort resulted in the safe release of the three workers, with no casualties reported. A senior police official confirmed the development, saying the recovery followed sustained and coordinated attempts by both police and tribal intermediaries.
The incident underscores the continuing threats faced by vaccination teams, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where militants have frequently targeted health workers and their security escorts.
Recent attacks have underscored the dangers faced by polio teams and their security escorts. In one such incident in Dera Murad Jamali, a police constable was killed when gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire while he was guarding a vaccination team outside a residence. The assailants fled the scene, and authorities later launched a search operation after shifting the body to a nearby hospital.
Days earlier, another attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district left one police officer dead and four others injured when security personnel assigned to protect vaccinators came under fire. The violence coincided with the launch of a nationwide anti-polio campaign aimed at immunising millions of children.
Officials say such incidents highlight the persistent security challenges surrounding immunisation drives, particularly in high-risk regions. The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative has repeatedly expressed concern over the targeting of frontline workers, stressing that ensuring their safety remains critical to sustaining efforts to eliminate the disease.
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