STATE DEPARTMENT — Doctors in Pakistan have successfully removed a bullet from a 14-year-old girl shot by the Taliban for speaking out against the militant group and promoting education for women. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the attack shows how much some young women must overcome to be treated equal.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Malala Yousufzai's shooting shows the hostility against which many women and girls struggle.
"Yesterday's attack reminds us of the challenges that girls face, whether its poverty or marginalization, or even violence just for speaking out for their basic rights," said Clinton.
Yousufzai was shot in the head and neck Tuesday while boarding a school bus in the Swat Valley. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for shooting the girl, saying Yousufzai was "pro-West, speaking out against the Taliban, and calling U.S. President Barack Obama her idol."
Yousufzai is internationally recognized for documenting atrocities committed by the Taliban in the area near her home.
Clinton said she is a brave child for standing up for the rights of Pakistani girls.
"She was attacked and shot by extremists who do not want girls to have an education and do not want girls to speak for themselves and do not want girls to become leaders, who are, for a variety of reasons, threatened by that kind of empowerment," said Clinton.
Clinton spoke at a State Department event marking the first ever International Day of the Girl. She said there are many young women - some whose names will never be known - who struggle against tradition and culture to pursue a life of meaning and purpose in their families and communities.