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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 2:45 p.m. ET: LONDON -- Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, has every chance of making a "good recovery," British doctors said on Monday as she arrived at a hospital in central England for treatment of her severe wounds.
Yousufzai, who was shot for advocating education for girls, was flown from Pakistan to receive specialist treatment at a unit at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital that has expertise in dealing with complex trauma cases. The unit has treated hundreds of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.
"Doctors... believe she has a chance of making a good recovery on every level," said Dr. Dave Rosser, the hospital's medical director, adding that her treatment and rehabilitation could take months.
He told reporters Yousufzai, whose shooting has drawn widespread condemnation, had not yet been assessed by British medics but said she would not have been brought to Britain at all if her prognosis was not good.
TV footage showed a patient, believed to be the schoolgirl, being rushed from an ambulance into the hospital surrounded by a large team of medical staff.
She will undergo scans to reveal the extent of her injuries, but Rosser said doctors could not provide any further details without her agreement.
Pakistani surgeons removed a bullet from near the girl's spinal cord during a three-hour operation the day after the attack last week, but she now needs intensive specialist follow-up care. Treatment is likely to include repairing damaged bones in her skull and complex neurological follow-up.
"Injuries to bones in the skull can be treated very successfully by the neurosurgeons and the plastic surgeons, but it is the damage to the blood supply to the brain that will determine long-term disability," said Duncan Bew, consultant trauma surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust in London. Judging the best way forward in such difficult cases requires a wide range of experienced medics working as a team.
"In trauma, it is really the coordinated impact of intensive care that is critical. It's not just about keeping the patient alive but also maximising their rehabilitation potential. With neurological injuries that is paramount," Bew said.
Doctors said youth was on her side since a young brain has more ability to recover from injury than a mature one.
"On the positive side, Malala has passed two major hurdles - the removal of the bullet and the very critical 48-hour window after surgery," said Anders Cohen, head of neurosurgery at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Yousufzai would receive specialized care in a hospital in the country’s National Health Service system.
"Last week's barbaric attack on Malala Yousufzai and her school friends shocked Pakistan and the world. Malala's bravery in standing up for the right of all young girls in Pakistan to an education is an example to us all,” Hague said in a statement.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital is the main receiving facility for British soldiers wounded in Afghanistan, and the spokeswoman said the staff were confident they would be able to provide Yousufzai with the necessary care.
Read more on this story at ITV News
Earlier, a medical team from the United Arab Emirates decided that Yousufzai would require prolonged care to recover fully from the physical and psychological trauma, a Pakistani military statement said before she left for Britain. The panel of doctors recommended she receive treatment abroad, the statement said.
Yousufzai's family was consulted and their wishes were taken into consideration, according to the military.
Attacked while leaving school
Yousufzai was leaving school in her hometown in the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan on Oct. 9 when she was shot in the head and neck by the Taliban for speaking out against the militants and promoting education for girls.
Yousufzai, a cheerful schoolgirl who had wanted to become a doctor before agreeing to her father's wishes that she strive to be a politician, has become a potent symbol of resistance against the Taliban's efforts to deprive girls of education.
On Sunday, tens of thousands rallied in Pakistan's largest city in support of Yousufzai.
The demonstration in the southern city of Karachi was by far the largest since Yousufzai and two of her classmates were shot.
Still, most government officials have refrained from publicly criticizing the Taliban by name over the attack, in what critics say is a lack of resolve against extremism.
Opponents of Pakistan's government and military say the shooting is another example of the state's failure to tackle militancy, the biggest threat to the stability of the nuclear-armed South Asian country.
The shooting of Yousufzai was the culmination of years of campaigning that had pitted the young girl against one of Pakistan's most ruthless Taliban commanders, Maulana Fazlullah.
Reuters TV
Fourteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai is transported from a hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Monday.
‘Public revulsion and condemnation’
The attack horrified people inside and outside Pakistan and sparked hope among some that it would prompt the government to intensify its fight against the Taliban and their allies.
“The public revulsion and condemnation of this cowardly attack shows that the people of Pakistan will not be beaten by terrorists. The U.K. stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism,” Britain’s Hague said in his statement.
But protests against the shooting have been relatively small until now, usually attracting no more than a few hundred people.
That response pales in comparison to the tens of thousands of people who held violent protests in Pakistan last month against a film produced in the United States that denigrated Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
Shakil Adil / AP
Fourteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai was shot by the Taliban on Tuesday for speaking out against the militants and promoting education for girls.
Fresh Taliban attack
The Taliban struck again on Sunday night, attacking the police outpost near Peshawar with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, according to Reuters. Security officials said at least six policemen were killed, including two who were beheaded.
Seven policemen are still missing and presumed kidnapped. Several police cars and an armored vehicle were torched.
Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com
The Taliban has been blamed for many suicide bombings across Pakistan and have also staged sophisticated, high-profile attacks on the military, one of the biggest in the world.
Pakistan's interior minister said police had dispatched guards to protect journalists who had been threatened by Taliban militants angered by coverage of Yousufzai's case.
The Taliban, based mostly in the unruly ethnic Pashtun tribal areas near the Afghan border, have said they would now try to kill her father, a headmaster of a girls' school in Swat.
Reuters and NBC News' Fakhar Rehman contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
The Taliban Should be eliminated! Totally eliminated!
take the Taliban OUT. that's the only way. they are nothing but criminals that's all. the government shouldn't stand for this anarchy. nobody would get away with this crap in the United States. Pakistan and Great Britain have a long history so its no wonder they volunteered to help.
Hate to burst your bubble tony, but they are already getting away with it. Check the news more often.
The fault lies with the Muslim clerics. Every single one of them who doesn't vehemently condemn the cowardice and ungodliness of these terrorists actions, stating that every man, woman and child who commits terrorists acts will NOT be going to any heavenly location, is equally guilty of murder and may they all burn in hell.
The Taliban, folks it trash like this, that's truly the lowest level of human existence on the face of the planet, they hold no value on human life, none, not if it's their own family. The lowest form of life on the face of the earth, and that's no joke. They need their testicles removed and fed to the dogs. I'll fight against them on every front.
First, my best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to Malala! The world needs you, brave girl!
As for the taliban ..... you think you are going to paradise for this shameful deed? Think again! The sheitan is waiting for you miserable beasts.
Earth can be heaven if all Muslims convert to any peaceful religion. Its like changing Devil mindset. All world terrorism is related to Islam.
Any peaceful religion? Let me guess. Would one of those peaceful religions be the one with the Blond, Blue-eyed, Semite who rose from the dead?
Not necessarily true. Based on the dictionary definition of terrorism, our federal officials use our military and intelligence community for terrorism quite often, for quite some time now.
wishing you a full recovery. lets hope this is an "anti taliban" turning point. it sure as h-ell should be.
Sorry but I have to laugh when I keep reading things like why wasn't she brought to the US for treatment and she will be safer in the US. Do you guys think that no one else has real doctors or safe places. From what I hear The American health care system is practically none exhistant unless you have money and with articles like this telling the world where the girl is going where is a safe place. Point #1 Because of the British involvement in Ireland and all of the wounded people that came out of there, It is known that the doctors who specialize in the field of this kind of trauma in England are the most experienced and teach the rest of their allies how to deal with this sort of wound. Point #2 It is said that the most skillfull doctors in general are actually in France.
You are quite correct steve.
The US is number one in emergency care, we are dead last or close in every other statistic (life expectancy, quality of life, etc.) throughout the Western World.
Also the number three killer (some experts estimate higher) in the US after cancer and heart disease is iatrogenic death (death by medicine).
Does accuracy matter to you fools? The USA ranked 38th out of 194 countries in life expectancy. Not great but hardly near the bottom. It is skewed down somewhat by our violent crime rate and the fact that large segments of the population do not take their health seriously. The USA is ranked 4th out of 165 countries listed in the HDI (Human Development Index). In Quality of Life index the USA is 13th out of 111 listed countries. Not quite the hellhole you people describe it. The last 2 indexes are slanted in favor of countries with socialist leaning governments like Canada and the Scandinavian nations. If Obama care truly becomes the law of the land then you can expect the US to drop in all of these rankings.
The other 156 countries you are talking about are not Westernized countries. I was referring to the WHO and Harvard studies of Western countries, we were dead last out of those countries.
What about the fact that we have the highest infant mortality rate among Western nations ? Or the fact that 47% of births are C-Sections ?
What about the iatrogenic death factor ? It's the number 3 killer in America.
What about the fact that the US, Canada, and New Zealand take 95% of the worlds medication ?
The only thing we're number one in is emergency care, which is great, but not enough.
We spend the most, but get the worst care is the bottom line.
Her outlook improved the second she left Pakistan airspace.
Amazing - This little girl has more courage and wisdom than the men running the Pakistani government. What a bunch of cowards! If you have folks running the government who will constantly be afraid of the Taliban, then they will take over, again and again. We've shown them how to be on their own. We've given them the tools. But as long as we do it for them, why should they bother to care. I'm sure there are thousands of Pakistanis who would like to live in peace. Giving the date of our withdrawn from that area may alert the enemy but it also puts the Pakistani government on notice too. Grow a pair, get your ass in gear and protect your own country! That's your job, not ours!
sent airforce one, funny....yeah and romney could have sent his own private jet.
Taliban threatens retribution, see who's liable to be targeted, journalist names and news:
SPECIAL BULLETIN TO THE ARAB LEAGUE OBSERVER: TALIBAN MEDIA HIT LIST
Ahhhh, so you noticed, this girl was flown to a hospital in the UK and not to an American/military hosptial. She had a Romney defined 'pre-existing condition'...........just a thought. a sick one, but never the less.
Girl shot by Taliban en route to UK ?
What idiot wrote this headline ?
Bunch of idiots talking about who has better health care. This is about the poor girl and getting taken care of which UK is quite capable of doing as well as the US could and that the US has done for other people from other countries when necessary.
What the idiot fanatic ialamics have done only proves they only will "respect (maybe?)" total violence back at them.
It's way past time for our government to keep trying to force feed democracy on these countries. To quit giving them any economic support. Get out completely and let them kill each other until there's a lot less of them to deal with later.
That or do it for them, let the military have control not the senate and president and let them go in and wipe them all out and let their so called loving allah sort it out.
More lies from the "INFIDELS"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are the religion of peace and love and I will kill you if you dont believe me.
ACHMED
Public revulsion and condemnation....NOT BEFORE TIME! The Taliban are not educated men and they fear the thought of women getting an education. It would mean they would lose control of the women and that would make them very small indeed.
The Taliban have vowed to try again to kill her if she recovers. They are so dedicated!!
From time immimoral there have been men who pretending to be humans and have sought to limit the humanity of women. The earth will remove these scoundrels from our planet, but not soon enough. Malala is a unique heroine and her fight is equally our fight.
GET WITH IT, the bigger point here is to use this girl assault by the Taliban as a wedge between the groups protecting them and the groups that want them OUT. The Taliban still is threatening to kill her when she gets better, are they sick or what???
The USA needs to start protesting here through ALL media outlets, thus demanding the Pakistani government takes action and not just TAKES OUR TAX DOLLARS!!! It's about time the US turned the tables on these types of groups instead of taking it on the chin and then having the POTUS say 'I'M SORRY, SO SORRY'.
What kind of cowards are these call them your name I have my own to shoot a innocent little girl of the same race just over her want to better herself and get an education,maybe they should look around them over there and wonder why she does.It ain't that hard to figure out!
What is Pakistan waiting for a complete Taliban take over. Malala Yousufzia a 14 year old child scares the hell out of the Taliban cause she knows Pakistan's men are either scared, stupid or both. Why hasn't the military moved on the Taliban they are nothing but murderers it doesn't matter who they kill as long as they kill anything. Now it high timr for the Pakistan military to stand up and start wiping out the Taliban & the other terrorist groups that have been killing long enough. Their military has to start crushing them and stopping them from taken over of Pakistan or they will have a steady diet of Taliban coming and killing the people of Pakistan. THAT LITTLE GIRL IS THE BEST THING PAKISTAN HAS.
Thank God, Buddah, Allah, Jesus, Shiva, Jehovah and anyone else...
I am praying for you, brave brave little girl... I'm sorry YOUNG WOMAN.
The Muslim Taliban has vowed to kill her if she returns to Pakistan...Islam is the religion of peace...don't cha know?
Can't you all just see what a wonderful world it will be when sharia law reigns supreme everywhere? The peace, the contentment, the enlightenment all across the world. All the advances in science, the arts and the utmost respect for all intellectual achievements. Don't resist it. You don't want to be called a bigot, do you?
Where do you right wing people get these ridiculous fantasies?