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A 14-year-old activist and blogger was shot in the head on her way back from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley on Tuesday, the latest in a troubling string of incidents involving children in Pakistan. Malala Yousafzai was injured along with two travel companions when Taliban assailants opened fire on their vehicle in the town of Mingora. By evening, Yousafzai, who started blogging about the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education in Swat when she was 11, was in stable condition and en route to a military hospital in Peshawar.

PESHAWAR: Maulana Fazlullah, the chief of the Pakistani Taliban in the restive Swat valley, has apparently been killed along with 6 other militants in a clash with Afghan border forces in that country's Nuristan province, intelligence sources said on Thursday. Fazlullah, who was known as 'Mullah FM' for his fiery sermons broadcast on an illegal radio station, apparently died during Wednesday's clash with Afghan border forces, the sources said. Clashes between Taliban militants, including those based in Pakistani, and Afghan forces had erupted in Nuristan province three days ago, the sources said. Fazlullah and his militants had established a parallel...

Two Taliban ‘commanders’ among 20 killed SNIPPET: "MINGORA/KOHAT: Two Taliban ‘commanders’ were among 20 militants killed in clashes and air strikes in Swat and Orakzai Agency on Thursday. In Swat, 13 insurgents were killed in clashes with security forces on Thursday. According to Swat media centre, security personnel came under fire when they raided a Taliban hideout in Sigram area of Koza Bandai. During an exchange of fire, 10 militants and one soldier were killed. Detained militant commander Mohammad Naseem alias Abu Faraj was with the troops and he was also killed in the clash. Abu Faraj, a close aide...

One of the most wanted Taliban leaders in Pakistan has escaped to Afghanistan and is planning new attacks on Pakistani forces, he has told the BBC. Maulana Fazlullah founded the Swat Taliban to enforce a hardline version of Islamic law. The government at first accepted his demands, but later accused the militants of reneging on a peace deal and sent troops into the valley. Maulana Fazlullah was said by officials to have been wounded or killed in July. Threats "I have reached Afghanistan safely," Maulana Fazlullah told BBC Urdu. "We are soon going to launch full-fledged punitive raids against the...

Taliban announces surrender in Swat Valley after leader Maulana Fazlullah 'arrested' The Taliban has announced its surrender in Swat Valley, one of its major strongholds until a Pakistan Army offensive regained control earlier this summer. By Emal Khan in Peshawar and Dean Nelson in New Delhi Published: 11:00PM BST 12 Sep 2009 Its announcement, made on one of its pirate radio stations, came as its charismatic leader Maulana Fazlullah was reported to be surrounded by Pakistani troops, and there were claims that he had in fact already been arrested. Their collapse in Swat, if confirmed, will deal a serious blow...

Swat Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah and the rest of the group's most senior commanders have escaped the Pakistani government's operation, a Taliban spokesman said. Mullah Omar, a spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, denied reports from the government and the military that Mullah Fazlullah had been gravely wounded during airstrikes in his home town of Imam Dehri. "Fazlullah is safe and the government claim is totally baseless," Omar told Pakistani journalists. He also said the Taliban leadership had gone underground "as part of their overall strategy" once the Army launched operations in Buner, Dir, and Swat, Daily...

Most wanted Taliban leader in ‘death throes’ The leader of Taliban militants in Swat Valley has been critically wounded and is close to death, a report quoting the BBC said yesterday. The information about Maulana Fazlullah confirms statements from senior government and security officials. A former village cleric, Fazlullah founded the branch of the Taliban movement which eventually took over the Swat Valley. After a recent offensive, the Army said it had almost defeated rebels in that sector of the northwest. The government said it had regained control of the region. The information about Maulana Falzullah was gathered from interviews...

The leader of Taliban militants in Pakistan's Swat district has been critically wounded and is close to death, the BBC has learned. The information about Maulana Fazlullah confirms statements from senior government and security officials. A former village cleric, he founded the branch of the Taliban movement which eventually took over the Swat valley. After a recent offensive, Pakistan's army says it has almost defeated rebels in that sector of the north-west. It has been battling Taliban militants there for about two months and the government says it has regained control of the region. 'No medicine' The information about Maulana...

The “radio mullah” Maulana Fazlullah may be dead, according to still unconfirmed reports from Pakistan. After Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik announced on Wednesday that Fazlullah was seriously injured, Pakistan forces reportedly conducted an operation in an area in Swat which was the hideout of Fazlullah. Fazlullah was reportedly killed in the operation. Fazlullah was traced after he called the Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi spokesperson, Muslim Khan, directing attacks, which was tracked by the forces. In his conversation, he admitted to being injured and surrounded, having lost many commanders. The Pakistan government had last week placed his family under detention. If Fazlullah’s death...

ISLAMABAD: Maulvi Fazlullah, leader of a banned outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, has been killed, Interior Ministry said here Wednesday. However, spokesman of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has denied the government’s claim.