Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai, who was shot in October and brought to Britain for treatment, was discharged from the hospital earlier this month to spend time with her family after her initial treatment phase.

Her doctors said on Wednesday she would return to hospital within the next 10 days to undergo surgery known as titanium cranioplasty to repair a missing area of her skull with a specially molded titanium plate.

The shooting of Yousufzai, in the head at point blank range as she left school in the Swat valley, drew widespread international condemnation.

She has become an internationally recognized symbol of resistance to the Taliban’s efforts to deny women education and other rights, and more than 250,000 people have signed online petitions calling for her to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her activism.

British doctors who treated Yousufzai say the bullet hit her left brow but instead of penetrating her skull, traveled underneath the skin along the side of her head and into her shoulder.

The shock wave shattered the thinnest bone of the skull and the soft tissues at the base of her jaw were damaged. The bullet and its fracture lines also destroyed her eardrum and the bones for hearing, rendering her deaf in her left ear.

She is being cared for in a specialist department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, which has treated hundreds of soldiers wounded in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Dave Rosser, the hospital’s medical director, said a procedure to insert a cochlear implant to restore her left side hearing and the complicated skull reconstruction surgery would be carried out by a team of 10 doctors and nurses.

The skull will be repaired with a 0.6 mm plate molded from a 3D model created using imaging data from Malala’s skull.

The cranioplasty, which is expected to take between one and two hours, will be carried out first, followed by the cochlear implant operation, which should take around 90 minutes, Rosser said in a statement.

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Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by the Taliban in October and brought to Britain for treatment, was discharged on Thursday but is due to be re-admitted in late January or early February for reconstructive surgery to her skull, doctors said.

The shooting of Yousufzai, in the head at point blank range as she left school in the Swat valley, drew widespread international condemnation.

She has become a an internationally recognized symbol of resistance to the Taliban’s efforts to deny women education and other rights, and more than 250,000 people have signed online petitions calling for her to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her activism.

Doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where Yousufzai was treated said that although the bullet hit her left brow, it did not penetrate her skull but instead travelled underneath the skin along the side of her head and into her neck.

She was treated by doctors specializing in neurosurgery, trauma and other disciplines in a department of the hospital which has treated hundreds of soldiers wounded in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Malala is a strong young woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery,” said Dave Rosser, the hospital’s medical director.

“Following discussions with Malala and her medical team, we decided that she would benefit from being at home.”

Yousufzai has already been leaving the hospital on a regular basis on “home leave” in recent weeks to spend time with her parents and younger brothers, who have a temporary home in central England, Rosser said.

“During those visits assessments have been carried out by her medical team to ensure she can continue to make good progress outside the hospital,” Rosser said.

Yousufzai’s father said in October he was sure she would “rise again” to pursue her dreams after medical treatment.

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The spokesman said in a statement that 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai, whose shooting has drawn widespread condemnation, will require prolonged care to fully recover physically and psychologically.

An air ambulance transporting Yousufzai, provided by the United Arab Emirates, had departed from Islamabad and was heading for the United Kingdom, said the spokesman.

“The panel of doctors recommended that Malala be shifted abroad to a UK center which has the capability to provide integrated care to children who have sustained severe injury,” said the spokesman in a statement.

An attack by about 50 militants on a police outpost near the large northwestern city of Peshawar on Sunday night highlighted Pakistan’s struggle to contain the Taliban and its allies. At least six policemen were killed.

Yousufzai, a cheerful schoolgirl who had wanted to become a doctor before agreeing to her father’s wishes that she strive to be a politician, has become a potent symbol of resistance against the Taliban’s efforts to deprive girls of an education.

Pakistanis have held some protests and candlelight vigils but most government officials have refrained from publicly criticising the Taliban by name over the attack, in what critics say is a lack of resolve against extremism.

Opponents of Pakistan’s government and military say the shooting is another example of the state’s failure to tackle militancy, the biggest threat to the stability of the nuclear-armed South Asian country.

The shooting of Yousufzai was the culmination of years of campaigning that had pitted the young girl against one of Pakistan’s most ruthless Taliban commanders, Maulana Fazlullah.

Fazlullah and his faction of the Pakistani Taliban took over Yusufzai’s native Swat Valley in 2009 after reaching an agreement with the government which gave them de facto control of the former tourist spot.

Fazlullah imposed the Taliban’s austere version of Islam there, blowing up girls’ schools and publicly executing those deemed immoral. The army later launched a major offensive in Swat, forcing many Taliban fighters to flee.

MELTED AWAY

Fazlullah’s men simply melted away across the porous border to Afghanistan. Earlier this year, they kidnapped and beheaded 17 Pakistani soldiers in one of several cross-border raids that have become a new security headache for Pakistan.

Yousufzai continued speaking out despite the danger. As her fame grew, Fazlullah tried everything he could to silence her. The Taliban published death threats in the newspapers and slipped them under her door. But she ignored them.

The Taliban say that’s why they sent assassins, despite a tribal code forbidding the killing of women.

Taliban sources said Fazlullah ordered two men specialising in high-profile assassinations to kill Yousufzai.

Pakistan’s Taliban, who are linked to al Qaeda, has been fighting for years to topple the U.S.-backed government and establish the kind of rule they imposed in Swat.

The United States and other Western allies who give Pakistan billions of dollars in aid have been pushing Islamabad to crack down harder on the Taliban, al Qaeda and other groups that have formed a complex web of militancy.

Pakistan says Western criticism of its performance is unjustified, and that it has sacrificed more than any other country that joined the U.S. war on militancy after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed.

The attack on Yousufzai has angered many Pakistanis, raising questions over whether the incident could sharply turn public opinion against the militants and give the military a big edge.

But many experts argue the war on militancy can only be won if the government strengthens the fragile economy and creates jobs to ensure that fewer people join radical groups who exploit disillusionment with the state.

The Taliban struck again on Sunday night, attacking the police outpost near Peshawar with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire. Security officials said at least six policemen were killed, including two who were beheaded.

Seven policemen are still missing and presumed kidnapped. Several police cars and an armoured vehicle were torched.

The Taliban has been blamed for many suicide bombings across Pakistan and have also staged sophisticated, high-profile attacks on the military, one of the biggest in the world.

Pakistan’s interior minister said police had despatched guards to protect journalists who had been threatened by Taliban militants angered by coverage of Yousufzai’s case.

The Taliban, based mostly in the unruly ethnic Pashtun tribal areas near the Afghan border, have said they would now try to kill her father, a headmaster of a girls’ school in Swat.

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“Malala is considered as an icon of hope and enlightenment in Pakistan and is respected and honored for her courage and determination,” a Pakistani government spokesman told Metro. “The extremist mindset which led to such a grave incident is only limited to a few fanatics.”

Metro spoke with Sajjan Gohel, the Pakistani-born International Security Director of the Asia-Pacific Foundation.

Metro: Is this a one-off incident, or are the Taliban gaining strength in Pakistan?

Gohel: Unfortunately this is not a one-off incident. It will happen again. I’ve been warning for a long time that women will be the biggest victim of the Taliban ascendency. This brutal attack and the medieval ideology of the Taliban once again reiterates the naivety of those who advocate talking and negotiating with them, even considering allowing the Taliban a role in governance.

Do Pakistani girls now have to worry about their safety?

Yes. The Taliban are determined to deprive women, including young girls, even basic human rights. It is very depressing when young Pakistani women, proud of their nationality, want to aspire for equal rights such as in education but are targeted because of it. Women’s rights have improved in some parts of Pakistan but not in the rural areas of the country. The Foreign Minister is a woman but that’s an aberration. She represents the urban elite and not the rural masses. In addition, she had the benefit of being partly educated abroad. Most Pakistani women don’t have that option. And any person, not just women, who wants to further the rights of women and girls is a potential target. The Governor of Punjab was a prominent advocate of women’s rights. He was targeted for that.

Is the Pakistani government doing enough to counter extremism?

No, it needs to do more to protect women. But on the positive side, it’s far better to have the civilian government in charge than the military.  However, condemning acts of violence are not enough. The perpetrators have to be prosecuted to the full extend of the law. Far too often individuals behind the attack are rounded up and then quietly forgotten.

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The USMC said the video, which sparked outrage across the Internet, was likely recorded on July 27th, 2011 after a counter-insurgency mission in Afghanistan. It’s unclear which Marines in the clip, if any, are Chamblin and Deptola.

Both Marines are facing a slew of other charges including being derelict in their duties by failing to properly supervise junior Marines, failing to require junior Marines to wear their personal protective equipment, failing to stop and report the misconduct of junior Marines, failing to report the negligent discharge of a grenade launcher and failing to stop the indiscriminate firing of weapons.

“We will be as forthright as possible while preserving the rights of the
accused and fairness and integrity of the military justice process,”
the USMC said.

Both Marines will go to trial. The USMC is still investigating other cases in connection with the video.

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Queen Elizabeth’s grandson is in Afghanistan on a four-month tour, based out of Camp Bastion in the volatile Helmand province, where he will be on the front line in the NATO-led war against Taliban insurgents.

“We are using all our strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

“We have informed our commanders in Helmand to do whatever they can to eliminate him,” Mujahid added, declining to go into detail on what he dubbed the “Harry operations”.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence declined to comment on Mujahid’s statement, and British authorities have given few details of Prince Harry’s stint in Afghanistan for security reasons.

The 27-year-old prince, who is third in line to the throne, took up his new role two weeks after being photographed frolicking naked in Las Vegas.

Known in the military as Captain Wales, he first served in Afghanistan in 2008 as an on-the-ground air controller, but his tour was cut short when a news blackout designed to protect him while he was on the front line collapsed.

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Yes, Ashan could have used the money so he figured it was an easy way to get the quick hundred bucks, we assume. As the Washington Post reports, Ashan, who was wanted for plotting attacks on security forces, approached police in the district of Sar Howza, clutching the poster that bared his face. He was, obviously, arrested immediately by several confused officers.

When U.S. troops approached Ashan to confirm that the man on the poster was indeed him, he replied, “‘Yes, yes, that’s me! Can I get my award now?’” according to SPC Matthew Baker.

Troops ran a biometric scan to confirm Ashan’s identity. One U.S. official told the Washington Post that Ashan is the equivalent of one of the “Home Alone” burglars.

Another official said, “Clearly, the man is an imbecile.”

And in the end, Ashan didn’t even get his hundred bucks.

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The U.S. Marine Corps has reportedly launched an investigation into the video, according to TMZ.

The
video was posted on YouTube by someone with the user name
“semperfiLoneVoice,” along with the description, “Scout sniper team 4
with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead
talibans. i thought marines were suppose to do the right thing when no
one is watching.”

“While we have not yet verified the origin or
authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent
with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the
Marines in our Corps,” Captain Kendra N. Hardesty told TMZ. “This matter
will be fully investigated and those responsible will be held
accountable for their actions.”

The soldiers can be heard laughing and joking in the video, one saying, “Have a great day, buddy.”

“Golden like a shower,” another soldier says after he is finished urinating.

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Ryan Crocker, a career diplomat who was ambassador in Iraq, also warned the United States would have to spend billions more in the coming years to bolster Afghanistan’s government and security forces as its own troops prepare to return home.

“What we have to do is I think demonstrate the strategic patience that is necessary to win a long war,” he told Reuters, in an interview ahead of the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

“It is going to require more resources, it’s going to require time. I hope we can bring all those to bear, because as hard, painful [and] expensive as this has been in blood and treasure, it has cost a lot less than 9/11 did.”

Crocker described building a stable Afghanistan as “the ultimate guarantee that there will not be another 9/11.”

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s chief spokesman, Waheed Omer,  told a news conference the incident, in which many Taliban commanders were said to have escaped, exposed serious vulnerabilities in the Afghan government.

Tooryalai Wesa, governor of volatile southern Kandahar province, told Reuters that 488 prisoners escaped due to the negligence of Afghan security forces at the province’s main jail. He said the tunnel led to a nearby house.

General Ghulam Dastgir, the governor in charge of the jail, said the prisoners had all escaped through the tunnel. “The insurgents worked on it for some seven months,” Dastgir said.

“The Taliban have planted bombs inside the tunnel and it is hard to investigate until the explosives are removed,” he said.

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