8 years ago
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Taliban attack wounds teen activist blogger
Malala Yousufzai's courageous blogging against the Taliban set her apart from other 14-year-old Pakistani girls.
Growing up in a region once dominated by the Islamic extremists, she knew the fear associated with the word Taliban.
One of her fears came to pass Tuesday, when gunmen sought her out and opened fire on her school van, leaving her seriously wounded along with two other classmates.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, Taliban spokesman Ihsnaullah Ishan told CNN. Ishan blamed the shooting on Malala's activist blogging.
Although she is now hospitalized in stable condition and "out of immediate danger," a bullet is lodged in Malala's neck and will be difficult to remove, her doctor said.
The attack began when armed militants stopped a van as it was taking her and two other girls home from school. The attackers asked which girl was Malala, said Kainat Bibi, one of the wounded girls. When the girls pointed Malala out, the men opened fire, Bibi said, wounding the girls before the van's driver was able to speed away. The other two girls' injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Malala lives in northwest Pakistan's Swat Valley -- one of the nation's most conservative regions. Her frustration with the Taliban's restrictions on female education in her town prompted her to use the Internet and speak out, effectively making herself a target.
She reached out to the outside world online, taking a stand by writing about her daily battle with extremist militants who used fear and intimidation to force girls to stay at home.
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