Malala Meets Obama At White House

Malala Yousafzai

Teenage Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban last year, has met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House.

A White House statement said Obama and his wife, Michelle, thanked the 16-year-old during the October 11 meeting "for her inspiring and passionate work" for education for Pakistani girls.

Yousafzai said she thanked Obama for America's "work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees.”

“I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism," she said after the. "Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact."

READ NEXT: On U.S. TV, Malala Wows With Compassion

Yousafzai’s work earned her a nomination for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Earlier this week, she was awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for human rights.

Based on reports from AP, dpa AFP