In Pakistan, an Activist Schoolgirl is Shot by the Taliban
Hospital staff assists Malala Yousufzai, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was wounded in a gun attack, at the Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital in the Swat Valley, northwest Pakistan October 9, 2012. Taliban gunmen in Pakistan shot and seriously wounded on Tuesday a 14-year-old schoolgirl who rose to fame for speaking out against the militants, authorities said. REUTERS/Mohammad Muzamil (PAKISTAN – Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW)
A 14-year-old schoolgirl who campaigned for girls’ education in north-west Pakistan has been shot and wounded.
Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head or neck by an unidentified man as she traveled home from school, in Mingora in SWAT.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban told the BBC that they shot her.
Yousafzai wrote a regular diary for the BBC Urdu language service in Pakistan under the name of Gul Makai while the Taliban was in control of SWAT three years ago and girls’ education was banned.
Her diary entries were translated into English and Yousafzai became well-known.
The girl is currently in critical condition at a Peshawar hospital.
The BBC’s Haroon Rashid says the attack happened some time after Yousafzai told an interviewer that President Barack Obama is her “idol” and that she praises “what he’s doing for peace in the world.”
At The World, we believe strongly that human-centered journalism is at the heart of an informed public and a strong democracy. We see democracy and journalism as two sides of the same coin. If you care about one, it is imperative to care about the other.
Every day, our nonprofit newsroom seeks to inform and empower listeners and hold the powerful accountable. Neither would be possible without the support of listeners like you. If you believe in our work, will you give today? We need your help now more than ever!