A five-year-old Libyan girl who lost a leg in the fighting in Libya, has arrived in Malta on her way to the United States, where she will have a prosthetic leg fitted.

Malak (meaning Angel) smiled broadly from her wheelchair as she was welcomed with brightly coloured balloons at Grand Harbour this morning.

But her story is far from being a happy one. A month ago, she was asleep in her home in Misurata when a shell fired by Gaddafi's forces exploded in the room.

Her brother and sister were killed, and she were severely injured.

She has spent the past weeks in a Misurata hospital, where doctors amputated her right leg and struggled to give her what help they could despite limited facilities.

I Go Aid Foundation. an NGO set up by Libyans and Maltese, transported the family to Malta while the Global Medical Relief Fund is sponsoring all travel costs to the US. The Shriners Hospital will cover all expenses related to Malak’s treatment, from the fitted prosthetic to her physiotherapy. 

Young Malak arrived with her parents on a small ship which has been taking humanitarian aid to the besieged Libyan city.

She will be here for a couple of days until a visa is issued and she can go on to the United States. 

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