Armed with her family’s AK-47 assault rifle, Qamar Gul, aged around 15 years old, sought immediate revenge against several Taliban fighters who had broken into her family’s central Ghor province home and killed her parents for supporting the government, officials said.
“Qamar Gul, who was inside the house, took an AK-47 gun the family had and first shot dead the two Taliban fighters who killed her parents, and then injured a few others,” local police chief Habiburahman Malekzada told AFP.
The teen’s firefight with the militants reportedly lasted an hour. She was joined by her 12-year-old brother, Habibullah, according to The Guardian.
AFP reported that a number of Taliban militants attempted to return to the family’s home after the fight, but were ultimately expelled from the area following a gunfight with pro-government fighters and villagers.
Images both showing and blurring out the teen’s face have circulated online since the incident, which occurred last week. The girl is seen holding the AK-47 she used in the firefight.
A teenage Afghan girl has been hailed on social media for her "heroism" after fighting back last week against Taliban militants who killed her parents.#Shameful Taliban pic.twitter.com/213WMrfeg4
— Tanveer Hussain Ansari (@tanveer_ansari9) July 22, 2020
A number of social media users have responded positively to the image and accompanying story, referring to the teen as a hero for avenging her parents.
“We know parents are irreplaceable, but your revenge will give you relative peace,” one Facebook user wrote in a post, as reported by The Guardian. “They received two titles at one night: heroes and orphans,” another posted. “She is a symbol of bravery and resistance,” said another.
Great trigger discipline 👌🏻 Her parents trained her well!
— Fenty🇬🇧🇺🇸🧢 (@fentendo) July 22, 2020
Afghan officials have since taken Gul and her brother to a safer location within Firuzkoh, the provincial capital.
“They were in shock in the first two days and could not talk too much, but are in a good condition now,” said Mohamed Aref Aber, a spokesman for the provincial governor, according to The Guardian. “They are saying: ‘This was our right, because we did not need to live without our parents.’ They don’t have many relatives other than a half-brother who lives in the same village.”
