Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- Pakistani security forces arrested 10 people in the attempt to kill teen activist Malala Yousafzai , the army said Friday . An outspoken supporter of a girl 's right to an education in Pakistan , Malala was despised by Taliban militants who opposed her assertive initiative because they did n't want girls to go to school . In October 2012 , an Islamist militant shot Malala , then 15 , in the head as she was traveling home on a school bus . She survived after emergency surgery in Pakistan and further treatment in Birmingham , England . The attack left two others injured . Her bravery and determination generated support for her ordeal and knowledge about the plight of girls across the world who ca n't get a formal education . Authorities in Pakistan said the people involved in the attack were linked to the Pakistan Taliban and were taking orders from its leader , Mullah Fazlullah . The suspects were arrested in Swat , a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province , army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said . Malala , now 17 , was born in the Swat city of Mingora . Speaking at a press conference in Rawalpindi , Bajwa said that after an initial arrest `` we were able to track down the entire gang , '' known as Shura . All of them are residents of Malakand , also a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa . Pakistan 's Malala : Global symbol , but still just a kid . An activist for years . Malala 's activism began in the Swat region in 2009 . Despite Taliban threats and pronouncements , she kept going to school and speaking out for education , and she wrote an anonymous blog for the BBC about her harrowing experiences . The Taliban came by on house raids , and she had to hide her books . She received national and international honors for her efforts . But , according to the Malala Fund website , `` her increased profile and strident criticism of the Taliban caused Taliban leaders to meet , and in 2012 they voted to kill her . '' The Taliban , which claimed responsibility for the assault , said Malala was `` a symbol of the infidels and obscenity . '' But the Malala Fund noted that other Muslim clerics in Pakistan `` issued a fatwa against the Taliban leaders and said there was no religious justification for shooting a schoolgirl . '' The organization supports projects in Pakistan , Kenya , Jordan , and Nigeria . Malala at U.N. : The Taliban failed to silence us . Malala 's appeal : 'Stop misusing the name of Islam ' This summer , Malala visited Nigeria and appealed to Boko Haram militants in Nigeria to lay down their weapons and `` stop misusing the name of Islam . '' Boko Haram , the name of which roughly translates as `` Western education is a sin '' in the local Hausa language , is trying to impose Sharia law across Nigeria and especially opposes the education of women . She made the trip in support of an estimated 276 girls kidnapped in April by Boko Haram from their school in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria . Malala was a favorite for the Nobel Peace Prize . CNN 's Joe Sterling reported and wrote from Atlanta . Journalist Adeel Raja reported from Islamabad .
Mrs Yousafzai is an outspoken advocate for the education of girls . The suspects are linked to the Pakistan Army , Pakistani army says . Malala recently visited Nigeria in support of the girls kidnapped by Boko Nigeria .