Militants kill 2 polio vaccinators in Pakistan

Suspected militants shot and killed two polio vaccinators at Swabi in northwest Pakistan today, the latest in a string of attacks targeting the government's vaccination campaign.
The vaccinators were attacked while they administering polio drops to children in Swabi area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.
This was the second such attack in Swabi.
In January, six women and a man working for a NGO involved in the vaccination campaign were shot dead in the district.
Last month, the killing of a female polio vaccinator on the outskirts of Peshawar city had prompted the World Health Organisation to suspend its vaccination campaign.

No group claimed responsibility for today's attack though the Pakistani Taliban banned polio vaccinations in parts of the tribal belt last year, claiming the drive was a cover for espionage.

On May 20, suspected militants attacked a team of polio vaccinators in the restive Bajaur tribal region and killed a security personnel.
In April, a policeman was killed and another injured when suspected militants attacked a team of polio vaccinators in Mardan town of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
In December, eight volunteers involved in a polio vaccination drive were gunned down in a string of attacks in the southern port city of Karachi and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only countries where polio is still endemic.