Militants Kill Health Workers in Pakistan
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ISLAMABAD) — Gunmen believed to be affiliated with the Taliban murdered six people in Pakistan over a 24-hour period because they were part of a nationwide effort to vaccinate people against polio.
Four women were gunned down in Karachi on Tuesday while another woman was shot to death in the northwestern city of Peshawar. A day earlier, a man associated with the World Health Organization project was killed in Karachi.
The Taliban opposes the massive inoculation effort because the group believes it is actually an attempt to spy on enemies of the Pakistani government.
Militants have alleged that a doctor who was part of a hepatitis program gave the CIA information about the whereabouts of the late al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, which led to the raid on his compound in Abbottabad in May 2011.
WHO and the United Nations condemned the latest attacks, while Pakistani authorities have said they’ll go after those responsible for threatening or killing health workers.
Pakistan is one of the few countries left in the world where polio is endemic.
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