Pakistan: 2 police killed guarding polio team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attack
Synopsis
Within 48 hours, Pakistan saw two police officers killed in Mohmand, four polio workers kidnapped in Tank, and two more abducted then released in Lower South Waziristan — all while the country logged its eighth polio case of 2026. The cluster of violence underscores how militant pressure is directly undermining the last front of the global war on polio.
Key Takeaways
Two police personnel were killed and one injured near Hashim Kor checkpost, Mohmand district , on 3 November 2026 while heading to provide security to a polio team.
On 2 November , four polio workers were kidnapped by gunmen in Tank district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ; a police probe is under way.
Two polio workers abducted in Lower South Waziristan — allegedly by TTP-linked gunmen — were subsequently released.
Pakistan recorded its eighth polio case of 2026 from Khyber district ; the victim is a 13-month-old girl from Bara tehsil .
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic.
A near-identical attack on 22 September 2026 killed two police escorts in Noshki, Balochistan .
Two police personnel were killed and another injured on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, after unidentified assailants opened fire on them in Mohmand district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as they were en route to provide security cover to a polio vaccination team. The attack is the latest in a string of violence targeting polio workers and their escorts in the region.
How the attack unfolded
Headquarters Deputy Superintendent of Police Liaquat Ali confirmed that the shooting took place near the Hashim Kor police checkpost in Pindiali tehsil of Mohmand district, according to Pakistani daily Dawn. The officers were heading to join the vaccination team when gunmen ambushed them. The assailants have not been identified.
A pattern of violence across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Mohmand attack was not an isolated incident. On Monday, 2 November, four polio workers were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and taken to an undisclosed location; police have launched a probe. In a separate incident, two polio workers were abducted in the Azam Warsak area of Lower South Waziristan district — both were subsequently released. Gunmen allegedly linked to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were reportedly responsible for the latter kidnapping, according to The Express Tribune.
Notably, on 22 September 2026, two police personnel guarding polio workers were killed by armed assailants in Noshki district of Balochistan. In that incident, gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on officers protecting a female polio team conducting inoculations; the attackers fled after seizing the officers' service weapons. The polio workers themselves were unharmed.
Pakistan's worsening polio crisis
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic. The violence against vaccination teams has compounded the public health challenge. Pakistan's National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) confirmed the country's eighth polio case of 2026 from Khyber district on Sunday, 2 November. The affected child is a 13-month-old girl from Bara tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — the second case from Khyber district and the sixth from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this year.
Why the attacks keep happening
Polio workers and their security escorts in Pakistan have faced repeated targeted attacks, particularly concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Militant groups have historically framed vaccination campaigns with suspicion, fuelling a cycle in which security threats reduce immunisation coverage and low coverage sustains the virus. This comes amid a broader surge in polio cases in 2026, making the disruption of vaccination drives especially consequential.
With multiple incidents recorded in less than a week, the safety of frontline health workers and security personnel remains a critical concern for Pakistan's polio eradication efforts going forward.
Point of View
Four workers kidnapped, two more abducted and released, all within 48 hours — is not coincidence but a pattern. Militant disruption of vaccination campaigns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan has a documented, decade-long trajectory, and the eighth polio case of 2026 arriving alongside this violence is precisely the link that public health officials most fear. What is underreported is that every successful attack compresses the geographic reach of the next vaccination round, sustaining the very reservoirs of wild virus that keep Pakistan and Afghanistan permanently on the global eradication watchlist. Until Pakistan can guarantee credible security for frontline health workers — and until the political conditions that feed militant distrust of vaccination are addressed — the eradication finish line will keep receding.
NationPress
3 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the police personnel guarding the polio team in Mohmand?
Two police officers were shot and killed, and a third was injured, on 3 November 2026 near the Hashim Kor checkpost in Pindiali tehsil of Mohmand district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while they were on their way to join a polio vaccination team as security escorts. The assailants were unidentified.
How many polio workers were kidnapped in Pakistan this week?
Four polio workers were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 2 November 2026 and taken to an undisclosed location; police have launched an investigation. Separately, two polio workers abducted in Lower South Waziristan's Azam Warsak area were later released.
How many polio cases has Pakistan recorded in 2026?
Pakistan has recorded eight wild poliovirus cases in 2026, the latest confirmed by the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) from Khyber district on 2 November. The affected child is a 13-month-old girl from Bara tehsil — the sixth case from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this year.
Why are polio workers and their security escorts targeted in Pakistan?
Militant groups, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, have historically opposed polio vaccination campaigns, viewing them with suspicion. The proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been linked to several such attacks. This persistent threat reduces vaccination coverage in high-risk districts, helping sustain the wild poliovirus in Pakistan — one of only two countries where it remains endemic.
Is this the first such attack on polio teams in Pakistan recently?
No. On 22 September 2026, two police personnel guarding a female polio team were killed in Noshki district of Balochistan by gunmen who fled with their service weapons. Attacks on polio workers and their security escorts have been a recurring feature of Pakistan's vaccination drives, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
