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Gunmen open fire on police officers during anti-polio drive in southwest Pakistan, killing 2

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Police say gunmen have opened fire on Pakistani police escorting a team of polio workers during a door-to-door vaccination campaign in the southwest, killing two police officers. The polio workers were unharmed in the attack Tuesday on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, according to the local police chief. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Pakistan’s anti-polio campaigns are regularly marked by violence. Islamic militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming that the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in which polio has not been eliminated.

Article Topic Follows: AP-National

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