The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the killing of a police officer who had taken part in guarding a polio vaccination team, a frequent target of militants in Pakistan.
The officer was shot dead by two militants riding on a motorbike on October 24 in the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan, police told RFE/RL.
He was on his way home after his shift had ended guarding a regional polio vaccination team.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack on October 24 coincided with World Polio Day, which is aimed at consolidating efforts to eradicate the virus.
Militants in Pakistan often target polio teams and security officers assigned to protect them, claiming the vaccination campaigns are a Western plot to sterilize children.
On September 19, a policeman guarding a polio vaccination team was shot dead by militants in the city of Kohat, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
On August 1, militants killed one policeman and injured another in two separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province during a polio vaccination campaign.
Pakistan along with neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the disease remains endemic.
