Shot Pakistani girl making progress

BIRMINGHAM, England -- A teenage Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for promoting girls' education has responded well to treatment and impressed doctors with her strength, the British hospital where she is being treated said Tuesday.

Experts are optimistic that 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai, who was flown Monday to Britain to receive specialized medical care, has a good chance of recovery because, unlike in adults, the brains of teenagers are still growing and can adapt better to trauma.

"Her response to treatment so far indicated that she could make a good recovery from her injuries," the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, said in a statement.

The full extent of Malala's brain injuries has not been made public, and outside experts cautioned that it was extremely unlikely that a full recovery of all her brain's functions can be made. Instead, they could only hope that the bullet took a "lucky path" -- going through a more "silent," or less active, part of the brain.

"You don't have a bullet go through your brain and have a full recovery," said Dr. Jonathan Fellus, chief scientific officer at the New Jersey-based International Brain Research Foundation.

The Taliban have threatened to target Malala again because she promotes "Western thinking." There was some concern for the teenager's safety yesterday when police stopped and questioned two people who tried to visit her.

The two people, who claimed to be Malala's relatives, were turned away.