Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona says she will resign from Congress this week

photo U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona says on her Facebook page she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago.

According to officials in Washington, her resignation is expected to take effect on Monday.

The Democratic congresswoman was shot in the head last January as she was meeting with constituents outside a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz. While her recovery has seemed remarkable, she says on Facebook she has more work to do to recover, and it is best from her state if she resigns her seat in the House.

Her shooting prompted an agonizing national debate about super-charged rhetoric in political campaigns.

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