[The Taliban] had taken over her city in the Swat Valley, in northwestern Pakistan.

It was such a beautiful place once, so lush and untouched that tourists flocked there to ski. But that was before 2003, when the Taliban began using it as a base for operations in nearby Afghanistan.

—“Pakistan’s Malala,”

Ashley Fantz


What changed people’s viewpoint about the Swat Valley?

1. The Swat turned into a big city and lost its natural beauty.

2. Tourists flocked there, and it became too crowded.

3. The Taliban began using it as a military base.

4. It was no longer lush and untouched.