Malala Yousafzai, 15, shot in the head by the Taliban, returns to school in England

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Malala Yousafzai is pictured carrying a backpack on her way to school in Birmingham, England, on March 19, 2013. Liz Cave/AFP/Getty Images

LONDON — Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban, has returned to school for the first time since she was targeted.

The 15-year-old joined other girls at Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham for her first day back at school on Tuesday, said Edelman, the public relations agency handling her media relations.

Yousafzai was airlifted to Britain for treatment after Taliban gunman shot her on Oct. 9, 2012, while on her way home from school in northwestern Pakistan. The militant group said it targeted her because she promoted “Western thinking” and criticized the group’s behaviour when it took over the scenic Swat Valley where she lived.

The shooting sparked outrage in Pakistan and many other countries, and her story has captured global attention for the struggle for women’s rights in her homeland.

Yousafzai was released in February from the hospital that was treating her for her injuries. Doctors said she was recovering well after receiving skull reconstruction and cochlear implant surgeries.

In a statement,  Yousafzai said she was excited to return to school and that she wanted “all girls in the world to have this basic opportunity.”

“I miss my classmates from Pakistan very much, but I am looking forward to meeting my teachers and making new friends here in Birmingham,” she added.

The teenager is expected to remain in the U.K. for some time as her father, Ziauddin, has secured a post with the Pakistani Consulate in the English city of Birmingham.

14:35ET 19-03-13

Tags: England, Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan, Swat Valley, Taliban