Military official: Condition of Pakistani girl activist shot by Taliban 'satisfactory'

The Associated Press

ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani military spokesman says a 14-year-old girl shot by a Taliban gunman is in "satisfactory" condition but cautions next few days will be critical.

Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said Friday that Malala Yousufzai is being kept unconscious and on a ventilator, and doctors will decide when to take her off. He said her blood pressure and heartbeat are normal.

Bajwa said the bullet entered her head and went into her neck toward her spine, but it was too soon to say whether she had any significant head injury.

Yousufzai is widely respected for her role in promoting girls' education in the Swat Valley where she lives, and the rest of Pakistan. A Taliban gunman shot her on her way home from school Tuesday, setting off an international outcry.