LONDON, Feb 3: Malala Yousufzai is in stable condition after undergoing two successful operations to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing, the British hospital treating her said on Sunday.

Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital said doctors for 15-year-old Malala were “very pleased” with her progress after five hours of skull reconstruction and ear surgery on Saturday.

“She is awake and talking to staff and members of her family,” the hospital said in a statement, adding that she would continue to recover in the hospital until she was well enough to be discharged.

The operations lasted five hours. The procedures carried out were cranial reconstruction, aimed at mending parts of her skull with a titanium plate, and a cochlear implant designed to restore hearing on her left side, which was damaged in the gun attack on her.

“Both operations were a success and Malala is now recovering in hospital,” said the hospital statement.

The teenager drew the world’s attention when she was shot by Taliban in October on her way home on a school bus in Swat valley.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan said one of its members targeted her because she promoted girls’ education and ‘western thinking’.

Malala was airlifted to Britain to receive specialised medical care and protection against further Taliban threats. She is expected to remain in the UK for some time after her father, Ziauddin, was given a diplomatic post based in Birmingham.

So far, doctors say she has made very good progress. She was able to stand up, write and return home, and doctors said they had seen minimum signs of brain damage.—Agencies