Gunmen kill polio worker in Pakistan vaccination campaign
Pakistani police say gunmen have shot and killed a female polio worker during a vaccination campaign in the country's northwest
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There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them in Pakistan, falsely claiming the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
Wednesday's attack happened on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar. Iqra Iqbal was gunned down on her way home, said Iftikhar Khan, a police official.
Pakistan regularly launches anti-polio campaigns in an effort to eradicate the highly infectious disease. The latest five-day drive against polio started on Monday.
Since January last year, Pakistan has not reported any new cases, raising hopes the Islamic nation is close to becoming a polio-free country. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only remaining countries in the world still trying to eradicate polio, which can cause severe paralysis in children.