Three abducted polio workers recovered in Bannu operation

Three polio workers abducted by militants on Wednesday have been safely recovered in a coordinated operation carried out by police with the support of local jirga elders in Bannu, officials confirmed.

According to police, the workers were kidnapped from the Jhandu Khel area during an ongoing anti-polio vaccination campaign, triggering immediate security concerns and prompting a rapid response from law enforcement agencies.

Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Yasir Afridi said that police launched an immediate operation after receiving reports of the abduction. A coordinated strategy was developed in consultation with local jirga elders, whose mediation played a key role in securing the safe release of the abducted health workers.

“With a lot of efforts, they have been recovered,” DPO Afridi told Dawn, confirming the successful recovery operation.

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Officials said the joint efforts of police and community elders helped resolve the situation without further harm to the abducted workers. The recovered polio staff members were later handed over to authorities.

The incident had raised alarm in the region, coming amid a nationwide anti-polio campaign being conducted from April 13 to 19. It also highlighted ongoing security challenges faced by vaccination teams operating in sensitive and remote areas.

In a separate incident earlier this week, a police constable was martyred and four others injured in an attack targeting law enforcement personnel assigned to protect polio teams in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Such incidents underline the continued risks faced by health workers and security forces involved in eradication campaigns.

Officials noted that despite security improvements in recent years, polio teams remain vulnerable to militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where vaccination drives are frequently targeted.

Authorities reiterated their commitment to ensuring the safety of frontline health workers and continuing the vaccination campaign to eradicate polio from the country.