Cop martyred in firing by attackers while returning from polio duty in KP's Bajaur

PESHAWAR: A cop, who was deployed for a polio team’s security, was martyred in firing by unidentified attackers while he was returning from his duty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Monday, police said.

Bajaur police spokesperson Israr Khan told Dawn that the 35-year-old martyred cop was returning home when the assailants, carrying rifles, opened fire on him.

Separately, Salarzai Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jamal Shah told reporters that the martyred cop, Sayed Aziz, sustained multiple bullet wounds and died on the way to the hospital.

Soon after the incident, a team from the Salarzai police station reached the site of the incident and began tracing the attackers, who had fled the scene, he said.

The DSP said an investigation had been launched to identify the attackers.

The attack has taken place on the first day of a four-day anti-polio campaign in KP, including Bajaur.

While the motive behind the attack is not clear, cops deputed for polio vaccination teams’ security have been targeted several times in the past.

In December last year, two people, including a constable, lost their lives after assailants attacked a polio team in Bajaur.

This year’s first attack on a polio team was recorded in February in Balochistan’s Chaman, where firing by armed terrorists resulted in the martyrdom of a police officer.

Last month, a police constable was martyred and four others were injured in an attack on a law enforcement party en route to provide security for polio teams in KP’s Hangu district.