Obama condemns Taliban attack on 14-year-old Pakistani girl

Washington, Oct 11:

President

has termed the life threatening attack on 14-year-old Pakistani girl Malala Yousufzai by

as reprehensible, disgusting and tragic and has offered assistance to

in this regard, his spokesman said.

"I know that the President found the news reprehensible, disgusting and tragic. We strongly condemn the shooting of Malala Yousafzai," Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, told presspersons yesterday.

Directing violence at children is barbaric, it's cowardly and our hearts go out to her and others who were wounded, as well as their families, he said.

"The US has offered any necessary assistance to Malala. As part of this offer, the US military has agreed to provide air ambulance and medical treatment at a facility suitable for her condition if it becomes necessary," Carney responded to presspersons.

Earlier in the day, Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, praised the brave girl who is battling for her life as she advocated the girl's rights.

"She has been very brave in standing up for the rights of girls in the area where she comes from in Pakistan," she said.

"I want to say a few words about a 14-year-old young woman, Malala Yousufzai, who lives in Pakistan, who has been active in speaking out for the right of girls to get an education. She's even blogged about it."

"And she has been very brave in standing up for the rights of girls in the area where she comes from in Pakistan," she said.

"Yesterday, you may have seen in the news, she was attacked and shot by extremists who don't want girls to have an education and don't want girls to speak for themselves and don't want girls to become leaders, who are for a variety of reasons threatened by that kind of empowerment," she said.

"They shot Malala and she's in critical condition," Clinton said at the 100th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts in the US and Announcement of New Initiatives to Prevent Child Marriage and Promote Girls' Education around the World.

"I think we should be dedicating our efforts to brave young women, some of whose names we will know and some we will never know, who struggle against tradition and culture and even outright hostility and sometimes violence to pursue their hopes, their God-given potential, to have a life of meaning and purpose and make contributions to their families, their communities, their countries and the world," she said.

"So yesterday's attack reminds of the challenges that girls face, whether it's poverty or marginalisation or even violence, just for speaking out for their basic rights," said the Secretary of State in her remarks.

PTI