KABUL: Eight polio vaccine team members working to eradicate the crippling virus in Afghanistan were killed in four separate attacks on Thursday, the United Nations said.
Polio teams were frequently targeted by rebel groups in Afghanistan until the Taliban took over the country last year.
Polio campaigns in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan in the past have been accused of being a spying front, while some clerics said the vaccine was a conspiracy to sterilize Muslims.
“We are appalled by the brutality of these killings in four separate places,” the UN said in a statement.
“This senseless violence must be stopped immediately and those responsible must be investigated and brought to justice. These attacks are a violation of international humanitarian law.” The Taliban said they had “received news” of the events and were trying to get more information.
“Our policy is clear, we want to vaccinate and protect all children under the age of five in Afghanistan,” Health Ministry spokesman Javid Hajir told AFP.
The UN said one person died in the far northern province of Takhar and seven in the neighboring province of Kunduz – including four in the provincial capital, Kunduz.
The UN said they are on house-to-house visits or on the way to launch a campaign.
Although Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated, Pakistan reported last month for the first time in its history that there were no cases in a year.