'Deeply worried' for women, minorities in Afghanistan: Malala Yousafzai
Shocked at the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, Pakistani activist and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has said she is "deeply worried" for women, minorities, and human rights advocates living in the strife-torn country. The 24-year-old rights activist urged global and regional powers to call for an immediate ceasefire and provide help to civilians in Afghanistan.
Global, regional, local powers must call for immediate ceasefire: Yousafzai
"We watch in complete shock as the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities, and human rights advocates," Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by Taliban militants in 2012, tweeted. "Global, regional, and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians," wrote Yousafzai, who now lives in the UK.
You can view the tweet here
Longstanding war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday
The longstanding war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment on Sunday when the Taliban insurgents closed in on Kabul before entering the city and took over the presidential palace, forcing embattled President Ashraf Ghani to join fellow citizens and foreigners to flee the country.
Yousafzai was shot by local Taliban militants in 2012
Taliban insurgents began moving toward Kabul following the overnight collapse of the two remaining cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad. Yousafzai was shot in the head by local Taliban militants in December 2012 for her female education campaigning in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. Severely wounded, she was airlifted from one military hospital in Pakistan to another and later flown to the UK for treatment.
Taliban had threatened to target Yousafzai again if she survived
Following the attack, the Taliban released a statement saying that they would target Yousafzai again if she survived. At age 17, Yousafzai became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her education advocacy in 2014.
Unable to return to Pakistan, Yousafzai moved to Britain
Unable to return to Pakistan after her recovery, the famed activist moved to Britain, setting up the Malala Fund and supporting local education advocacy groups. She began her campaign aged just 11 when she started writing a blog for the BBC's Urdu service in 2009 about life under the Taliban in Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where they were banning girls' education.
