Malala Yousafzai Flown To British Hospital For Specialist Treatment

Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot by Taliban gunmen last week, has been flown to a hospital in Britain for extensive medical treatment.

Pakistani military doctors, who removed one bullet from her skull, said she remains in serious condition and that the next few days will be critical in determining her ultimate survival.

She will be transported at the New Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in the Midlands, a facility that specializes in treating major trauma, including British soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.

"We offered last Thursday our help to the government of Pakistan in caring for [Yousafzai], because she does need particular specialist care," a spokesman for Downing Street said in a statement.

Under extremely tight security, once she recovers from surgery, Yousafzai is likely to require neurological treatment and also need to have damaged bones repaired or replaced, according to a report in BBC.

The Pakistani government has promised it will pay for all of her medical care.

It is unclear if any of Yousafzai’s family accompanied her on the flight on United Arab Emirates Airlines.

Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities have claimed that the conspiracy to attack Yousafzai sprang “abroad,” while the Pakistani Taliban threatened to shoot her and her family again.

Four people in the Swat Valley, Yousafzai’s home and the location of the attack on her and two other girls, have been arrested. However, it is unclear who they are and how they were apprehended.

Islamabad officials have also offered a $100,000 reward for the capture of the men who shot the girls.

Protests against the shooting have mushroomed across Pakistan and have made Yousafzai a global icon. She has also been praised by various world leaders.

"Last week's barbaric attack on Malala Yousafzai and her school friends shocked Pakistan and the world,” said Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague.

“Malala's bravery in standing up for the right of all young girls in Pakistan to an education is an example to us all. ... Our thoughts remain with Malala and her family at this difficult time. The public revulsion and condemnation of this cowardly attack shows that the people of Pakistan will not be beaten by terrorists."

"The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism."

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who now serves as the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Global Education, vowed that Yousafzai’s dream of universal education for women will be fulfilled and crafted a related petition to give to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari when he visits the country in November.

"The petition calls on Pakistan to ensure that every girl like Malala has the chance to go to school," he said.

"I know that Britain will offer Malala the best treatment possible and the British people will welcome her, hoping and praying for her recovery. Today, sadly, 32 million girls are not going to school, and it is time to fight harder for Malala's dream to come true."