At least two people, including a constable, were killed after unidentified assailants attacked a polio team in the Salarzai tehsil of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, the police said, as the nationwide polio campaign entered its second day.
The attack comes a day after the government launched the final polio campaign of 2025, which is set to run until December 21.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) police, Israr Khan, confirmed that two people, including a passerby and a policeman guarding the polio team, were killed in the attack on Tuesday afternoon in the Thangi area of Salarzai.
Khan identified the martyred cop as Constable Sajad Ahmed, who passed away after sustaining critical injuries, while another civilian was “shot dead by the armed men when he attempted to chase after the assailants.”
“Local residents also confirmed the account, while the assailants managed to escape,” Khan said, adding that the police had launched a search operation.
He also confirmed that no polio workers were harmed in the incident.
Polio vaccinators, who go door-to-door to inoculate children, are frequently targeted by militants, especially in KP and Balochistan.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Separately, a police official and his brother were martyred in a gun attack near the Hayatkhel area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district on Tuesday.
District Police Officer (DPO) Nazir Khan said it was premature to say anything about the nature of the attack. “The police are trying to ascertain the cause of the incident, whether it is linked to terrorism,” he said.
The bodies of Amir Nawaz and Khana Gul, siblings of former district councilor Ali Gul, were transferred to the district headquarters hospital.
A police contingent reached the spot after the incident and launched a search operation.
Meanwhile, three terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Peshawar, while two of their accomplices managed to escape.
The operation was conducted within the jurisdiction of Matni Police Station, near the Akhun Baba graveyard on Azakhel Road, following confirmed intelligence that the suspects were present in the area to plan a major act of sabotage.
CTD Peshawar, along with its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, launched the raid after receiving credible information. During the operation, the terrorists opened fire on the police party, prompting the forces to retaliate in self-defence. As a result, three terrorists were killed on the spot, while two others fled the scene.
A subsequent search of the area led to the recovery of the bodies of the three terrorists along with three Kalashnikov rifles, nine magazines and a large quantity of ammunition. Heavy police contingents reached the site, and a search operation is underway to trace and arrest the fleeing suspects.
Inspector General of Police Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Zulfiqar Hameed and the Additional Inspector General of Police CTD praised the CTD personnel for the successful operation.
They said such actions against miscreants were commendable and reaffirmed that the pace of operations would be further intensified to ensure the protection of life and property and to eliminate terrorism from the province.