PESHAWAR – A high-profile militant involved in targetting polio vaccinators has been eliminated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after security forces launched two intelligence-driven operations in Khyber and Bannu districts.
The operations comes amid ongoing counterterrorism campaign, as security personnel moved against suspected militant hideouts amid growing concerns over threats to healthcare workers carrying out life-saving vaccination drives in the province.
The wanted commander Abu Dujana Khyberi was allegedly preparing to ambush polio vaccination team in Khyber district when security forces intervened and killed him before the planned attack could take place. In a separate operation in Bannu, four more militants were killed, while weapons, ammunition and advanced combat equipment were reportedly recovered.
The first operation was conducted in sensitive Chapri area of Khyber district, where intelligence agencies had reportedly identified a serious threat to frontline vaccination workers. Security sources said Musharraf, better known by his alias Abu Dujana Khyberi, was positioned to target a polio team administering vaccination drops to children.
Pakistan started three-day anti-polio campaign in Khyber district, where health teams have been conducting door-to-door vaccination activities despite security concerns. The reported plot raised particular alarm because polio workers have previously been subjected to violence, intimidation and abductions in parts of the province.
The operation followed another troubling incident in the same area. Suspected militants had kidnapped a polio supervisor from Chapri three days earlier, casting uncertainty over the safety of vaccination personnel and the continuation of the immunisation campaign.
The abduction prompted serious concern among local communities and healthcare workers, who have continued to face threats while attempting to protect children from the potentially paralysing disease. However, local negotiations and mediation efforts eventually secured the supervisor’s safe release.
Following the recovery, security forces reportedly intensified intelligence gathering, traced the suspected militant network and launched the operation in which Abu Dujana Khyberi was killed. The sequence of developments highlights the security challenges confronting health workers in areas where militant groups have attempted to interfere with public health campaigns.
While security forces were responding to threats in Khyber, another intelligence-based operation was carried out in the southern district of Bannu. Security sources reported that four militants of Fitna al-Khawarij were killed during the operation. A sizeable cache of weapons, ammunition and modern combat equipment was also recovered from the militants.
Four Polio Workers Kidnapped in KP’s Tank during Vaccination Drive
Polio vaccination teams are facing massive threats in Pakistan’s northwestern regions as militant groups continue to target healthcare workers and their security escorts in efforts to disrupt immunisation campaigns.
Such violence created obstacles for vaccination activities, particularly in remote and security-sensitive areas where frontline workers must reach children despite considerable personal risk.
The abduction of polio supervisor and the alleged preparations to attack another vaccination team illustrate how threats against healthcare personnel continue to complicate Pakistan’s campaign to eliminate polio.
Security forces increasingly relied on intelligence-based operations to locate suspected militant commanders, disrupt their activities and prevent potential attacks on civilians and public institutions.
