Malala Yousufzai, 14 Year Old Pakistani Activist, Shot in the Head

In Pakistan, Malala Yousufzai at only 14-years-old is known for her bravery as an activist that has spoken out and revealed the atrocities of the Taliban while advocating education for girls. On Tuesday, Yousafzai was shot in the head and neck nearly killed by a gunman.

The Associated Press reports that a gunman walked up to to her on a bus in the northern Swat Valley of Pakistan and shot Yousufzai in the head and neck, wounding girl who was a passenger on the bus as well.

She was taken to a military hospital by helicopter in the city of Peshwar. The AP reports that a doctor said that "her wounds weren't life-threatening, but a provincial information minister said after a medical board examined the girl that the next few days would be crucial."

Malala was reportedly on her way home from the school she attends that is run by her father, Ziauddin.

The AP reports, "The bus was about to leave the school grounds in Mingora, the largest city in Swat Valley, when a bearded man approached it and asked which one of the girls was Malala, said Rasool Shah, Mingora's police chief. Another girl pointed to Malala, but the activist denied it was her and the gunmen then shot both of the girls, the police chief said."

In December, Yousufzai was granted a National Peace Award by the Pakistani government because of her bravery in exposing the Taliban, TIME reported.

TIME reported that she has spoken publicly in the Swat valley about the rights of chidren. She said to Al Jazeera in 2010, "The people of Swat are not terrorists. "If this new generation is not given pens, they will be given guns by terrorists."

Kamila Hayat, a senior official of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said to the AP, "This is an attack to silence courage through a bullet. These are the forces who want to take us to the dark ages."

The attack highlights the extremity of danger activitsts face in the area, especially for women activists.

Mustafa Qadri, Pakistan Researcher with Amnesty International said in a statement, "This was a shocking act of violence against a 14-year girl who has bravely been fighting for her right to education. We condemn it in the strongest possible terms."