A policeman was martyred and a polio worker injured when unidentified attackers targeted a polio team in the Banda Daud Shah tehsil of Karak district on Monday.

The incident occurred in the Shakarkhel area of Teri police precincts, where unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on the team during an ongoing anti-polio campaign.

According to the Kohat DIG, the martyred policeman, identified as Irfan, was on duty providing security to the polio team. He succumbed to injuries on the spot, while the injured polio worker was rushed to Peshawar for treatment.

Rescue officials transferred the policeman’s body to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) for a postmortem. Following the attack, the police launched a search operation in the area to apprehend the culprits.

Karak Deputy Commissioner Shakeel Marwat confirmed that the polio campaign is continuing across the district despite the incident. The campaign aims to protect children under the age of five from the crippling disease.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Bannu, a polio worker, identified as Hayatullah, was injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on him in the Saddar police precincts. Police said the injured was shifted to a hospital, adding that the officer, Hayatullah, and his family were involved in an old enmity.

The armed attackers fled from the scene, the police claimed, as the five-day anti-polio campaign kicked off in the district amid tight security arrangements on Monday. More than 2,500 police personnel were deployed for the peaceful conduct of the ongoing campaign.

The deputy commissioner has imposed Section 144 for seven days across the district for the anti-polio campaign, banning motorcycle pillion riding, displaying weapons and using tinted windows in vehicles.