14-year-old Pakistani Malala Yousufzai was shot and seriously wounded after speaking up against the Taliban.

On October 9, gunmen arrived at Yousufzai’s school and started searching for the teen among all the students. As soon as she came out of class and entered a school bus, the gunmen fired and shot Yousufzai in the head and neck.

Yousufzai who was a noted peace campaigner reached headlines after bravely speaking up against the Taliban, even when the government had already declared a ceasefire in the Swat valley and allowed Taliban control in that region.

Following the ceasefire, the Taliban started implementing their own “justice”, executing residents and closing down girls’s schools.

At that time, other than Yousufzai, very few people were willing to openly speak up against the Taliban. After the government finally regained control of the area, Yousufzai received the highest civilian award and was nominated for multiple awards for child activism.

Her raised status brought her both fame and notoriety in the region. She has received multiple threats prior to this shooting.

A Taliban group led by Ehsanullah Ehsan has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“She was pro-West, she was speaking against Taliban and she was calling President Obama her idol,” Ehsan said in a phone call. “She was young but she was promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas.”

Yousufzai is now in critical condition at the  Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital.