Seven police officers were killed protecting health workers who were supposed to vaccinate children against polio in the Pakistani city of Karachi, authorities said.

Hands on motorcycles opened fire on the officers as they stood guard outside the house said a local police adviser Ahmed the Reason.

Speaking at a press conference, Ad Khawaja, the police chief of Sindh province, said authorities have identified the group responsible for the massacre. Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif issued a statement condemning the attack.

"The police have a sacrifice today for the future generation", - said the Prime Minister. "The whole nation will fight against these cowards with great determination".

At the same time, Ehsanullah Ehsan, representative of a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban "Jamaat-ul-Ahrar" (TTP-JA) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

"Our attacks against security agencies and officials will continue, and the attack in Karachi was a continuation of the struggle for implementation of Islamic government in Pakistan," he said in a statement. TTP-JA has also claimed responsibility for the attack on the Park, Lahore last month.

In January target for militant steel workers. 14 people including 13 policemen were killed and 25 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a government center of vaccination against polio. In 2011, officials of the U.S. intelligence used a vaccination program to help in their hunt for Osama bin Laden. Under the cover of the program, the CIA sought to collect DNA samples from relatives of the leader of al-Qaeda, to verify his presence in Pakistan. The disclosure scheme the CIA has reinforced the militants an existing fear of vaccinations.
sections: World News, Accidents, Accidents