Convoy attack: 13 dead, including child, in Pakistan anti-polio workers attack
- 9 years ago
Originally published on March 2, 2014
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At least 13 people, including a young child, in a roadside bomb and shooting attack on a polio vaccination team in Jamrud Tehsil of Khyber Agency in Pakistan on Saturday (March 1). Militants detonated roadside bombs before opening fire on the group.
Reuters reports, "the attack lasted an hour and when rescuers approached the scene the gunmen also attacked them, according to Khan Faraz, an official in the Jamrud area of Khyber, a rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
"Around a dozen wounded were taken to hospital, but others died on the road waiting for help to arrive, he said.
"Another official, Assistant Political Agent Jehangir Azam, said all the casualties were members of the levies or Khasadar, both locally recruited government-backed militias. They were providing security for the health workers.
"Polio vaccination teams are frequently attacked, as are government security forces. A spokeswoman for UNICEF said it was unclear who was the target on this occasion.
"Some religious leaders have denounced the multi-billion dollar vaccination campaign as a cover for spying or a plot to secretly sterilise Muslim children.
"Pakistan is one of the last three countries in the world where polio remains endemic and the only one of those three where reported cases are increasing.
"The disease can kill or paralyse within hours."
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At least 13 people, including a young child, in a roadside bomb and shooting attack on a polio vaccination team in Jamrud Tehsil of Khyber Agency in Pakistan on Saturday (March 1). Militants detonated roadside bombs before opening fire on the group.
Reuters reports, "the attack lasted an hour and when rescuers approached the scene the gunmen also attacked them, according to Khan Faraz, an official in the Jamrud area of Khyber, a rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
"Around a dozen wounded were taken to hospital, but others died on the road waiting for help to arrive, he said.
"Another official, Assistant Political Agent Jehangir Azam, said all the casualties were members of the levies or Khasadar, both locally recruited government-backed militias. They were providing security for the health workers.
"Polio vaccination teams are frequently attacked, as are government security forces. A spokeswoman for UNICEF said it was unclear who was the target on this occasion.
"Some religious leaders have denounced the multi-billion dollar vaccination campaign as a cover for spying or a plot to secretly sterilise Muslim children.
"Pakistan is one of the last three countries in the world where polio remains endemic and the only one of those three where reported cases are increasing.
"The disease can kill or paralyse within hours."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more!
Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS
Check out our official website: http://us.tomonews.net/
Stay