Today Malala Yousafzai was released from a British hospital and will continue her recovery at a temporary home there. The Pakistani teen became a symbol of courage after she defied the Taliban and promoted education for girls.
In 2011, when asked why she risks her life, she told CNN’s Reza Sayah, "I shall raise my voice...I have rights. I have the right of education. I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up."
For speaking out, the Taliban ambushed a van transporting Malala and her classmates home from school in October and tried to assassinate her. The attack was brutal, but didn’t prove fatal. She was taken to England to receive medical care and protection from the Islamic extremists who threatened to come after her again.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains the medical treatment Malala, 14, will receive in England. He says her young age is a beneficial factor for the process her brain will need to go through to rewire itself.
The Pakistani teen was targeted by the Taliban and shot twice at point-blank range while she was in a school van with other students. Malala was attacked for promoting girls' education.
Reza Sayah reports on what Pakistani officials are doing to try to find those responsible for the attack. There have been a few arrests, but they are still investigating.
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Post by: Filed under: Dr. Sanjay Gupta • Pakistan • Reza Sayah • Taliban |
Malala Yousufzai, 14, is now in the hands of medical experts in England. The Pakistani teen was shot in the head and neck by the Taliban last week when riding home in a school van with other classmates in the Swat Valley region, near the border with Afghanistan.
Malala was targeted by the gunmen for speaking out about girls’ rights to education. Last year when asked why she risks her life, she told CNN’s Reza Sayah, "I shall raise my voice...I have rights. I have the right of education. I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up."
The Islamic extremists aimed to silence her defiant message, and have promised to attack her again if she survives her injuries.
Anderson Cooper | BIO
AC360° Anchor
Program Note: See the full interview on AC360° tonight at 10pm eastern
In the fall of 2008, David Rohde traveled to Afghanistan to do some reporting for a book about the region. He and two Afghan colleagues were kidnapped by the Taliban and held for seven months. He was held in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan, less than a half mile away from a Pakistani military base.
After seven months and ten days in captivity, Rohde made a daring escape. In the dark of night, Rohde and another captive used a rope to lower themselves down a wall and made a run for it, trying desperately to reach the nearby base.
Intelligence now indicates Rohde may have been captured by the same people who trained the Times Square bombing suspect, Faisal Shahzad.
Rohde speaks to Anderson in his first Primetime Exclusive… about his captivity, his escape, the Taliban's presence in Pakistan and their ability to attack the United States.
Watch the full interview tonight.
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Special to CNN
Afghan women won the world's attention nine years ago following the routing of Taliban troops at the hands of U.S. and Afghan forces. Back then, a rush of dignitaries flew to Kabul to denounce the Taliban's brutal treatment of women, although the world had largely forgotten these same women during the previous seven years.
No school, no work, no leaving the house without a man - even a boy would do. These are the laws Afghan women learned to live with, because they had to. Yet they also found a way to work around those rules.
Throughout the Taliban years, Afghan women ran aid organizations, practiced medicine, taught schools and ran businesses. They refused to be victims; instead, they led their communities and helped them survive desolate years of economic collapse and political isolation.
Ken Ballen
Special to CNN
In practical terms, it might seem that the recent arrests of key Taliban members and the success of the U.S. offensive in southern Afghanistan might indicate a new phase in the war against the Taliban.
But how the Taliban respond will be based on a world view and beliefs far different from the American perspective and that of the Western-educated Afghan and Pakistani elites, whom we rely on for strategic advice and partnership.
On Tuesday, Pakistani authorities confirmed the capture of Mullah Abdul Kabir, a member of the Taliban's inner circle and a leading military commander against the Americans in eastern Afghanistan.
Atia Abawi | BIO
CNN International Correspondent
David Gergen | BIO
AC360° Contributor
CNN Senior Political Analyst
Brian Fishman
Special to CNN
The capture of the Afghan Taliban's operational commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in the Pakistani city of Karachi is a signature success for the United States' effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it does not indicate that the insurgent movement will collapse.
In the short run, local Taliban commanders will be able to maintain the movement's operational effectiveness against U.S. and NATO troops. Over the long term, however, increased collaboration between American and Pakistani intelligence agencies could prove debilitating for the movement.
U.S. and Pakistani officials likely hope the collaboration will force the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table.
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