A 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl who spoke against militants in her community has been shot by Taliban gunmen. Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head and neck when gunmen fired on her school bus in the Swat valley, northwest of the capital, Islamabad. Two other girls were also wounded, police said.
Yousufzai became famous for speaking out at a time when the Pakistan government seemed to be appeasing the Taliban. The government agreed to a ceasefire with the Taliban in Swat in early 2009. The Taliban then set up courts, executed residents and closed girls’ schools, including Yousufzai’s.
A documentary team filmed her weeping as she explained her ambition to be a doctor. “My friend came to me and said, ‘for God’s sake, answer me honestly, is our school going to be attacked by the Taliban?’,” Yousufzai, then 11, wrote in a blog published by the BBC. Since then, she had received numerous threats. – (Reuters)