15 October 2012 Last updated at 00:31 ET

Malala Yousafzai: Taliban shooting victim to go to UK

The Pakistani girl shot in the head by Taliban gunmen last week is being sent to the UK for medical treatment, the Pakistani army has said.

The army said that Malala Yousafzai, 14, needed "prolonged" care.

The girl has until now been at a military hospital in Rawalpindi, with doctors saying her progress over the next few days would be "critical".

The girl wrote a diary about suffering under the Taliban and was accused by them of "promoting secularism".

The Pakistani army said Ms Yousafzai's trip was being sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.

"Pakistan has arranged with the UAE for a specially equipped air ambulance to transfer Malala to the UK," it said. A team of medics will be accompanying the girl.

It was not immediately clear at which hospital in the UK she would be treated.

National prayer

The teenager - who has been campaigning for education for girls - was attacked last Tuesday as she was returning home from school in Mingora in north-western Swat.

Two armed men, on foot, stopped a van packed with about a dozen schoolgirls in a congested area of the town.

One of them got into the van and asked which of the girls was Malala Yousafzai before he fired three shots, hitting Malala in the head and injuring two others.

The girl has since been in serious condition and kept on a ventilator, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says.

Police has arrested four people in connection with the attack. They were among about 100 people rounded up this week, most of whom were later released on bail.

Last Friday, people across Pakistan observed a day of prayer for the recovery of the girl.

The Taliban has warned they will target Malala Yousafzai again.