Nobel Prize winner Malala told Obama U.S. drone attacks fuel terrorism

The teenager who became the youngest to win the Nobel Peace Prize Friday told President Barack Obama at a White House meeting last year that she worried about the effect of U.S. drone strikes.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, as well as Kailash Satyarthi of India, for pushing for young people's rights, including the right to education.

Malala, now 17, made international headlines after being shot in the head by the Taliban on a school bus two years ago for promoting education for girls in Pakistan. After recovering, she took her campaign for children’s education across the world, writing a book and even speaking at the United Nations last year.

The Malala Fund, set up to promote girls' education, announced that she would deliver a statement after classes end Friday at her school in Birmingham, England.

In October 2013, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama met in the Oval Office “to thank her for her inspiring and passionate work on behalf of girls education in Pakistan.”

But in a statement released after the meeting, Malala said she was honored to have met with Obama, but that she told him she's worried about the effect of U.S. drone strikes. (The White House statement didn't mention that part.)

"I thanked President Obama for the United States' work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees," she said in the statement. "I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. 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."

In a statement, the White House said at the time the United States "joins with the Pakistani people and so many around the world to celebrate Malala’s courage and her determination to promote the right of all girls to attend school and realize their dreams."

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif congratulated Malala in a statement Friday, according to several published reports.

"She is (the) pride of Pakistan, she has made her countrymen proud,” he said. “Her achievement is unparalleled and unequaled. "Girls and boys of the world should take lead from her struggle and commitment."

This story was originally published October 10, 2014 at 11:28 AM.