An A-level student who played dead in a terrorist massacre has landed a place at Oxford Universiry.
Ahmad Nawaz almost lost an arm when he was injured in a Taliban shooting at his school in in Peshawar, Pakistan, in December 2014.
The shooting left 150 dead, including Ahmad's younger brother Haris, aged 13.
Ahmad, who witnessed his teachers being burned alive in the atrocity, was rushed to hospital in Peshawar and later flown to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital for further treatment.
And on Thursday, the brave student took to Twitter to announce that he was going to study at the prestigious university.
He said: "The terrorists shot me and brutally attacked my school to stop us getting an education 5 years ago.
“Today I am proud to share that I have secured a place at the University of Oxford !! Where there is a will, there’s a way.”
After a long road to recovery, Ahmad, 19, now spends his time touring schools giving anti-radicalisation talks and sharing his incredible story.
“This is like a second life,” said Ahmad, who attended King Edward’s High School for Boys in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
“I was in hospital for three months, and as well as the physical trauma, I was dealing with the emotional side too.
“It gave me a lot of time to think and I decided that I had to speak out against what happened.
“A lot of people might just bury it inside and get on with their lives, and many people who were in the same attack that day have chosen to do that.
“But the lives of my brother and my friend were taken away that day, and that gives me motivation to try to change something, as they haven’t had the chance.”
Last year, Ahmad was named a winner at the Pride of Birmingham Awards for his work.
“It is wonderful,” he said. “ Birmingham has been my city since I came to the UK and I have fallen in love with the place and the people.
“I have been embraced with respect and love, so it is a real honour to be named a winner at the Pride of Birmingham Awards.”
