4 killed in attack on polio vaccination team

QUETTA, Pakistan — Gunmen in Pakistan attacked a polio vaccination team Wednesday, killing four health workers, while a suspected U.S. drone strike killed four alleged militants, officials said.

The attack on the health workers took place in the southwestern city of Quetta, while the drone strike targeted a militant hideout in the North Waziristan tribal region in northwest Pakistan.

Those killed in the attack on the outskirts of Quetta included three women, said police spokesman Shahzada Farhat.

The vaccination team of three women and three men was waiting for a police escort when two gunmen opened fire on them, he said.

Local militants oppose the vaccination campaign, alleging that western governments use it as a cover to spy on insurgents.

Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio, which can cause paralysis and death, remains endemic. The incidence of polio in Pakistan has hit a 15-year high; the World Health Organization has already registered 235 polio cases since January. Attempts to administer the vaccine have been hindered by militant attacks that have killed hundreds of health workers.