Terrorists kill mother, daughter working to eradicate polio

Photo: Relative mourn the death of a female anti-polio drive campaign worker who was shot by gunmen, at a hospital in Quetta (Reuters)

Karachi: Unidentified gunmen on Thursday shot dead a mother and her daughter who were part of a polio vaccination team in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province.

The gunmen opened fire on the polio team in the Shalkot area, killing the two women in what law enforcers believe is a targeted attack, police said.

The attackers escaped unhurt from the site of the attack, police said.

Nobody took responsibility of the attack but the Taliban militants had been attacking polio teams.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly condemned the killing of the polio workers, according to his office. He directed the concerned authorities to make every possible effort for apprehending the culprits involved in the attack.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Qudus Bazinjo suspended the Station House Officer of the area police station for showing negligence.

Earlier, two policemen were shot dead in a targeted attack in the Zarghoon Road area in Quetta.

Polio teams have been the target of militants after the Taliban spread rumours that the vaccination drives were a front for espionage or a conspiracy to sterilise Muslims.

The last major attack targeting a polio vaccination team in Quetta took place two years ago in January 2016 in the Satellite Town area.

At least 13 policemen and a civilian were killed in the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan-claimed suicide attack near a polio centre.