Islamic State Pakistan Province (ISPP) has claimed responsibility for the September 22 attack in Nushki district of Balochistan in which two police officers assigned to protect a polio vaccination team were killed, according to War Monitor Pakistan.
Police said gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on officers protecting a team of female polio workers in the Jamalabad area of Nushki. The vaccination workers were unharmed, while two constables were killed. Officials identified them as Muhammad Yasir and Abdul Rauf.
Dawn reported on September 22 that no group had claimed responsibility at the time of its initial report. The later ISPP statement therefore represents a subsequent claim of responsibility. Publicly available reporting had not independently corroborated the group’s claim by the time of publication.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack. Local authorities said the assailants fled the area and a search operation was launched. Reports also said the attackers took the officers’ weapons.
ISPP is a separate Islamic State affiliate focused primarily on Pakistan and has previously claimed attacks in Balochistan.