Pakistani schoolgirl attacked by Taliban sent to UK for treatment Malala Yousafzai in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 8 March 2012. Malala was shot and wounded by Taliban gunmen in Swat on 9 October. The Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by Taliban gunmen for pushing for girls to be educated has been sent to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, a military spokesman said on Monday. The spokesman said in a statement 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. The spokesman said an air ambulance transporting Malala, provided by the United Arab Emirates, had departed from Islamabad and was heading for the United Kingdom. "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 spokesman in a statement. Malala has become a potent symbol of resistance against the Pakistani Taliban's efforts to deprive girls of an education. Pakistanis have held some protests and candlelight vigils but government officials have refrained from publicly criticising 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 reminder of the state's failure to tackle militancy.