UAE ready to fly out Malala Yousafzai

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has sent an aircraft to fly out Malala Yousafzai who was shot in the head by the Taliban for further medical treatment, a top official said on Sunday.

"There is an Emirati plane ready to evacuate" 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding she would be flown out once "final preparations are complete."

Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, Jamil Ahmed Khan, told a private television network that the young child rights activist would be flown to Dubai for further treatment.

Malala was shot in the former Taliban stronghold of Swat last Tuesday in retaliation for her campaign for the right to education.

She was airlifted to Pakistan's top military hospital on Thursday for specialist treatment.

On Sunday, the military said the teenager was making "slow and steady progress" in her recovery.