Ten Taliban militants suspected of trying to kill Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai two years ago have been arrested, a Pakistani army spokesman said Friday, Agence France-Presse reported. The teen was singled out for assassination in 2012 after she wrote about her life under Taliban rule in a blog for the BBC and became an activist promoting gender equality.
The 17-year-old teenage activist was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen for being an outspoken advocate for girls' education, New York Daily News reported. Since then, Yousafzai has recovered and went on to earn international plaudits for her courage.
"The entire gang involved in the murder attempt has been busted," Army spokesman Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said, adding that Yousafzai was targeted on the orders of Mullah Fazlullah, head of the Pakistani Taliban, who is still being sought.
A joint operation involving army, police and intelligence agencies was planned as part of the Pakistani military's ongoing offensive to catch the ten suspects who belong to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group encompassing militant organizations across the tribal areas.
He said the arrests were prompted by information from one of the members in prison. "The group acted upon the instructions of Mullah Fazlullah who, while based in Kunar, Afghanistan, passed instructions through his two associates," he said.
In October 2012, a gunman boarded the teen's school bus in Pakistan's north-western Swat Valley and asked for Malala by name before open-firing three shots from a Colt .45-caliber revolver.
After one bullet struck her forehead and left her in critical condition, she received treatment in Pakistan and in Britain, where she now lives. The assault also wounded two of her school friends.
The suspects are being interrogated and will face an anti-terrorism court soon, Bajwa said. However, it was noted by BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad "that the army statement made no mention of Ataullah Khan, a 23-year-old militant who had previously been accused of shooting Malala," BBC News reported.
"Malala is from the same region that was once home to Fazlullah, who rose to power after his predecessor, Hakimullah Mehsud, died in a U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan," according to NYDN. "Fazlullah has been on the run since 2009, when Pakistan's military launched an effort to root out militants trying to overthrow the government and institute harsh Sharia law."
"We will continue our efforts until (Fazlullah) is arrested or killed," Bajwa said without giving specifics on where the 10 men were captured.
Representatives of Yousafzai's family were not immediately available for comment, according to NYDN.
Meanwhile, Yousafzai's courageous recovery has made her a global figure. She was named one of Time magazine's most influential people in 2013, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and has just released an autobiography.
