Heavily armed terrorists on Tuesday martyred two policemen escorting a polio vaccination team in Upper Orakzai, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while three militants were also killed in an intense exchange of fire with the security forces.
Upper Orakzai Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Muhammad Rahim said the incident took place in the Dabori Badan area, where armed men opened fire at police personnel escorting the vaccinators.
One of the policemen, Sayyed Hameed, lost his life on the spot, while the other was shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Orakzai. However, the injured cop Muzammil also succumbed to his wounds during treatment.
In a swift response to the attack, the Frontier Corps cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Muhammad Raheem later confirmed that three terrorists were killed in retaliatory firing by the FC personnel, while one of the militants was caught injured.
President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement condemned the armed assault on the polio vaccination team, expressing sorrow over the martyrdom of police officials.
“The cops bravely fought the attackers and killed three terrorists, for which they deserve salutes,” he said in the statement.
Praying for the early recovery of the wounded cops, the president vowed to continue all-out efforts to eliminate poliovirus across the country.
