BANNU: Three polio workers abducted by militants on Wednesday have been safely recovered through coordinated efforts by the police and local jirga elders, police said.

Under the leadership of the Bannu district police officer (DPO), the police initiated immediate action following the incident. A comprehensive strategy was adopted by taking local jirga elders into confidence. Due to the successful mediation by the jirga and the professional competence of the police, the abducted workers were safely recovered.

Bannu DPO Yasir Afridi, while confirming the development, told Dawn that “with a lot of efforts, they have been recovered”.

The three polio workers were abducted by unidentified militants in the Jhandu Khel area on Wednesday during the ongoing anti-polio campaign, sparking serious concern in the area.

Earlier this week, a police constable was martyred and four others were injured in an attack on a law enforcement party en route to provide security for polio teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district.

The incident took place on the first day of a nationwide vaccination campaign taking place from April 13 to 19. It was this year’s first attack on law enforcement personnel deployed for polio teams’ security.

Polio vaccinators, who go door-to-door to inoculate children, are frequently targeted by militants, esp­e­cially in KP and Balochistan.

In February, a police of­­fi­cer was martyred when armed terrorists opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Balochistan’s Chaman district.

According to officials, the number of violent incidents against polio teams had decreased last year due to foolproof security measures, with four policemen and one civilian killed, and three police officials injured. They also said 17 health workers were kidnapped during vaccination campaigns.