London (CNN) -- Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousufzai was
in stable condition at a British hospital on Sunday after undergoing surgeries
to repair her skull and help her hearing, officials said.
"Both operations were a success and Malala is now
recovering in hospital. Her medical team are 'very pleased' with the progress
she has made so far," the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham said in a
statement. "She is awake and talking to staff and members of her
family."
Saturday's five-hour surgeries were the latest step on a
long road to recovery for Malala, who was shot in the head and neck by Taliban
gunmen in October for speaking out in favor of education for Pakistani girls.
Last week doctors said they would use a titanium plate to
cover an opening in her skull, and give her a cochlear implant to partially
restore hearing in her left ear.
The plate was necessary to replace a section of her skull
about the size of a hand, which doctors removed to relieve swelling after the
shooting. And the inner ear implant will restore some function to her damaged
ear, doctors said last week.
The 15-year-old became an international symbol of courage
after she was shot by Taliban gunmen last fall for her crusade about girls
going to school.
She had blogged fearlessly about girls' education and
accused the Taliban of thriving on ignorance. The Taliban forbid girls in the
classroom and have threatened to kill anyone who defies them.
Malala was in a school van on October 9 when the gunmen
stopped the vehicle and shot her at point-blank range.
She was flown to the British hospital six days later.
Doctors there discharged her last month, and she has been
recovering with her family at a temporary home nearby. Her father, who had been
an educator in Pakistan, is now employed at the Pakistani Consulate in
Birmingham.
On Sunday, officials said Malala would remain hospitalized
until she is well enough to be discharged.
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