Three Polio Workers Abducted in Pakistan’s Kurram as Kidnapped Supervisor Released in Jamrud

PESHAWAR (Terror Monitor) — Armed militants have abducted three polio vaccination workers in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while a polio campaign supervisor kidnapped earlier in the neighbouring Khyber district has been released after three days in captivity, police and local sources said Thursday.

The latest abduction took place in the Gandao area of Central Kurram district, where unidentified armed militants reportedly kidnapped three personnel associated with an ongoing polio vaccination campaign.

According to police sources, the abducted workers have been identified as Salahuddin, Ali Muhammad and Bilal Khan. All three belong to the Gandao area of Central Kurram.

The circumstances surrounding their abduction remain unclear, and authorities have not yet provided further details about the incident or the whereabouts of the missing workers.

Local reports said the incident was confirmed by police sources, but no militant group has claimed responsibility.

Kidnapped polio supervisor released after three days

In a separate development, polio campaign supervisor Abdul Jalil, who was abducted from the remote mountainous area of Chapri in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber district three days ago, has been released.

Khyber District Police Officer (DPO) Waqar Ahmad confirmed his release, according to local police reports.

Unidentified armed men had abducted the supervisor from Chapri and taken him to an undisclosed location.

Although his release has been confirmed, authorities have not disclosed the circumstances under which he was freed, whether negotiations were involved or whether security forces played any role in securing his release.

The supervisor's name was also reported as Jalil Khan in an earlier account of the kidnapping published by Pakistan's Express Tribune on November 4.

Wave of abductions and attacks targeting polio teams

The latest incidents come amid a series of attacks and kidnappings targeting polio vaccination personnel and security forces protecting them across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On November 3, the Associated Press (AP) reported that suspected militants killed two police officers and wounded another while they were travelling to provide security for a polio vaccination team in Mohmand district.

The attackers escaped after the shooting, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.

AP also reported that four polio workers had been abducted in Tank district earlier in the week. The abductions prompted provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to demand immediate action to secure their safe release.

In another incident, two members of a polio vaccination team abducted from the Azam Warsak area of Lower South Waziristan were subsequently released. Local reports alleged that militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were involved in that kidnapping.

Pakistani Taliban accused of targeting government personnel

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, have repeatedly been accused of attacking government employees, security personnel and polio vaccination teams in northwestern Pakistan.

According to AP, the TTP and other militant organisations have frequently targeted polio vaccination campaigns and police assigned to protect health workers. These groups have promoted false claims that vaccination programmes are part of a Western conspiracy.

The repeated kidnappings and attacks have raised serious concerns about the safety of frontline health workers, particularly in remote tribal districts where security conditions remain fragile.

Pakistan's polio eradication campaign faces security challenges

The incidents coincide with a special nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign launched on November 2, targeting approximately 24 million children across 97 selected districts.

According to Pakistan's National Emergency Operations Centre, the seven-day campaign is scheduled to continue until November 8.

Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus is endemic, according to the World Health Organization.

The latest abduction in Kurram and the earlier kidnapping in Jamrud underscore the continuing security challenges facing Pakistan's efforts to eliminate polio.