An Afghan girl shot dead three Taliban gunmen and injured several others after the insurgents killed her parents for political reasons, officials say.
Qamar Gul, 16, has been hailed as a hero on social media after engaging the fighters with an AK-47 assault rifle in an hour-long shootout alongside her 12-year-old brother.
Around 40 Taliban insurgents stormed their village of Geriveh, in the province of Ghor, last week.
Moments before the standoff, insurgents killed her parents because they supported Afghanistan's government, who the Taliban have been trying to overthrow for nearly two decades.
"The insurgents came to their doorstep and her mother went to see who was knocking. When she saw that they were armed, she refused to open the door," said Mohamed Aref Aber, spokesperson for the provincial governor.
Qamar's mother was shot dead by the Taliban insurgents, Aber said, who then entered the house and killed her father.
Having witnessed the attack, Qamar picked up the family rifle and immediately shot and killed three fighters. She then engaged in an hour-long shootout with fighters outside the house alongside her younger brother Habibullah.
Fellow villagers and militia joined the battle, officials say, eventually driving them out of Geriveh.
Aber said Qamar and Habibullah have now been taken to a safe house in another part of Ghor.
"They were in shock in the first two days and could not talk too much, but are in a good condition now," Aber said.
"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."
Since the incident, Qamar has been praised for her bravery at a meeting of Afghanistan's cabinet, and an image of her with the AK-47 sitting across her lap has gone viral on social media.
The killing of Afghan government informants and supporters by the Taliban is common. Tensions and violence between the two parties have increased in recent months despite progressing peace talks.
