WASHINGTON (AP) – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is condemning the shooting in Pakistan of an outspoken 14-year old Pakistani advocate for girls’ education. She says the attack should serve as a call to action for those promoting the rights of women and girls.

Speaking Wednesday, Clinton said the shooting of Malala Yousufzai should galvanize support for “brave young women … who struggle against tradition and culture and even outright hostility, and sometimes violence” to pursue their rights. She blamed the attack on extremists who are threatened by girls’ empowerment.

The Taliban has taken responsibility for Monday’s shooting in Pakistan’s volatile Swat Valley.

Clinton said the “attack reminds us of the challenges that girls face, whether it is poverty or marginalization or even violence just for speaking out for their basic rights.”