Pakistani Schoolgirl Malala Airlifted to UK

Teenage Pakistani Activist Malala Yousafzai

 Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban last week is being sent to the UK for specialist medical treatment, a military spokesperson has said.

The spokesperson said in a statement on Monday that 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, whose shooting has drawn condemnation abroad and at home, will require "prolonged" care to fully recover physically and psychologically.

An air ambulance transporting Malala, provided by the United Arab Emirates, had departed from Islamabad and was heading for the UK, the Pakistani army said.

"The panel of doctors recommended that Malala be shifted abroad to a UK centre which has the capability to provide integrated care to children who have sustained severe injury," said the army spokesperson in the statement.

Malala - who has been campaigning for education for girls - was attacked last Tuesday as she was returning home from school in Mingora in northwestern Swat.

A source in a hospital in the city of Rawalpindi, where she was initially being treated, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that her condition was "critical" and that she had a slim chance of recovering.

Yousafzai has "very limited chance of life left", said the source, declining to be identified because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani military said on Saturday that Malala "was making steady and satisfactory progress".

The shooting of Yousafzai has been denounced worldwide and by the Pakistani authorities, who have offered a reward of more than $100,000 for the capture of her attackers.


Source: Aljazeera