KABUL (REUTERS) - Militants kidnapped 11 Pakistani teachers involved in a polio vaccination campaign for school children on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a string of attacks on health workers trying to eradicate the deadly disease.

The teachers were taken from the private Hira Public School in the Bara area of the Khyber tribal agency, one of the semi autonomous tribal areas along border with the Afghanistan. The gunmen arrived just after teams administering the polio vaccines had left, officials said.

Local official Khyali Gul said the gunmen took the teachers to an area controlled by militant leader Mangal Bagh and his Taleban-affiliated Lashkar-e-Islam group.

"Mangal Bagh and his men are opposing polio vaccination for children and don`t allow teams to immunise children in their areas," Mr Gul said.