Taliban commander regrets attack on Pakistani teen activist Malala

Peshawar: A Pakistani Taliban commander has written a letter to a teenage girl activist shot in the head by the group, saying he wished he could have warned her to stop criticizing the militants so she wouldn't have been attacked.The commander, Adnan Rasheed, did not say the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Malala Yousafzai last October was wrong, only that he found it "shocking" and wished it hadn't happened.[caption id="attachment_964305" align="alignleft" width="380"] Malala. AFP image[/caption]Rasheed, who has close relations with Taliban leaders, said the letter expressed his own opinion, not that of the group.The Associated Press received the letter by e-mail late Tuesday and spoke to another Taliban commander Wednesday who confirmed it was authentic.The Taliban's attack on Malala, who was 15 years old at the time, sparked international condemnation of the militant group.AP