Surgeons have removed a bullet from the head of a 14-year-old girl, a day after she was shot by Taliban gunmen in north-western Pakistan's Swat Valley. Malala Yousafzai, a campaigner for girls' rights, is reported to be in a stable condition after the operation. The attack sparked outrage among many Pakistanis, who gathered in several cities for anti-Taliban protests and held prayers for the girl's recovery. The militants said they targeted her because she "promoted secularism". A spokesman for the Islamist militant group, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told BBC Urdu on Tuesday she would not be spared if she survived.
He says her family never thought about getting security because they just did not think that militants would stoop so low as to target her.
Two other girls were injured in Tuesday's attack, one of whom remained in a critical condition on Wednesday.
