Washington, Oct 12 (IANS) US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama met with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan at the White House Friday, thanking her for her "inspiring and passionate work" on girls' education in Pakistan.

"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," reported Xinhua citing the White House in a statement.

Malala, 16, who was a nominee for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, is an activist advocating girls' education in Pakistan and a survivor of an assassination attempt by the Taliban last year.

She was shot in the head and neck by Taliban gunmen on her way home from the school Oct 9, 2012, in her home town of Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 

She survived the assassination and recovered from her wounds later in a hospital in Britain. Her story has sparked national and international outpouring of support, though Taliban threatened to kill her and her father.

Malala said after the White House meeting that she was honored to meet with Obama and the First Lady, whom she thanked for the US support to education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees.