PESHAWAR: Militants shot a police officer guarding polio vaccinators on Monday, police said, the day after health workers launched a nationwide campaign against the resurgent disease.

“The attack resulted in the death of the police officer at the scene, while one polio worker was injured,” a senior police official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

The police officer was travelling with two vaccinators when they were attacked by motorcyclists.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has long been a hive of militant activity, including by the Pakistani Taliban.