Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, ‘Heartbroken’ By Cowardly Attack In Peshawar, Pakistan

Malala Yousafzai, recent 17-year-old recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, said that she is “heartbroken” by Tuesday’s events in Pakistan when the Taliban opened fire on a military school, claiming more than 120 lives and injuring 114 more. Many of these lives included those of young children who were students at the school.

ABC News reports Malala’s words after she had heard the news of the tragic event, stating, “Innocent children in their school have no place in horror such as this. I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts.” Yousafzai shared also that she, along with millions of others will mourn”the lives of the children who died in the Taliban assault on a school in Peshawar.”

The Daily Mail summarized the events of the attack.

“[A]t least 10 attackers wearing police uniforms and suicide vests stormed the army-run school. The gunmen were reported to have fired at random inside the school before the building was surrounded by Pakistani troops, who exchanged fire with the militants.The source said: ‘They burnt a teacher in front of the students in a classroom. They literally set the teacher on fire with gasoline and made the kids watch.’Most of the school’s 500 children are understood to have been evacuated, but many were being held hostage in the building. Gunfire and explosions were heard shortly after the militants entered the school at around 10am local time (5am UK time). A number of teachers and a member of the security forces are believed to be among those killed.”

With the presence of such horrendous violence so prominent within Pakistan, the nation needs a voice like that of Malala. She is no stranger to the violent Taliban regime. She was a victim of the extremist group’s heinous action two years ago when she was shot in the head in Pakistan, for making her voice heard for herself and other young women like her who are refused an education. The Taliban attempted to silence her, yet she has arisen from the unthinkable circumstance even stronger and remains a beacon of hope for many.

Motivation for the December 16 attack was unclear initially, yet Reuters has reported that a spokesman for the Taliban organization has said that the actions of the hardline Islamist movement “was in response to a major army operation against the insurgents in the tribal areas.”

Yousafzai has indicated that she will remain “united” with the government of Pakistan and the nation’s armed forces, indicating that she sees their efforts, thus far, in addressing such a horrific act as “commendable.”

Malala, who survived the attack on her life thanks to phenomenal medical care and support, has continued to fight for women’s rights and an education for all. She presently resides in Birmingham, England.

[Feature Image courtesy of Mashable]