Peshawar, Dec 6 (PTI) Unknown assailants on Wednesday opened fire at a police officer who was reviewing security arrangements made for a team of polio vaccination workers in northwest Pakistan, officials said.

District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Shuaib, however, escaped unhurt in the skirmish.

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Shuaib was reviewing security arrangements for the polio vaccination team at Koi Bhara in Dera Ismail Khan district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakthunkhwa province, when unidentified gunmen opened fire at the DPO vehicle, police said.

Police have launched a massive search operation to nab the culprits.

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No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with its neighbour Afghanistan.

In 2014, the World Health Organisation had made it mandatory for all people travelling from Pakistan to carry a polio vaccination certificate.

Attempts to eradicate the crippling virus have been seriously hampered by deadly targeting of vaccination teams in recent years by militants, who oppose the drives, claiming that the polio drops cause infertility.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)