An Afghan girl shot and killed two Taliban fighters and wounded several more after they removed their parents from their home and killed them for supporting the government, authorities said.

The incident occurred last week when insurgents broke into the home of Qamar Gul, a teenager from a village in the central province of Ghor.

The fighters were searching for their father, the village and local police chief, Habiburahman Malekzada, told AFP.

His father was a supporter of the government, so the Taliban fighters went to his home and dragged him away, Malekzada said.

When his wife resisted, the Taliban fighters killed the couple outside their home, Malekzada said.

“Qamar Gul, who was inside the house, took an AK-47 weapon that the family had and first shot dead the two Taliban fighters who killed their parents, and then wounded some others,” he said.

Gul is between 14 and 16 years old, according to different officials. It is common for many Afghans to not know their precise age.

Later, several Taliban fighters came to attack the girl’s home, but some villagers and pro-government militiamen expelled them after a shooting.

Afghan security forces have now taken Gul and his younger brother to a safer place, said Mohamed Aref Aber, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Since the incident, social media has been flooded with praise for Gul’s “heroic” act.

A photograph of Gul, wearing a headscarf and holding a machine gun in his lap, has gone viral in recent days.

“Congratulations to your courage! Well done,” wrote Najiba Rahmi on Facebook. ” The power of an Afghan girl,” wrote another Facebook user, Fazila Alizada.

“We know that parents are irreplaceable, but their revenge will give them relative peace,” said Mohamed Saleh in his Facebook post.

The Taliban regularly assassinate villagers who they suspect are a government or security forces informant.

In recent months, militants have also intensified their attacks on security forces despite agreeing to peace talks with Kabul.

With information from AFP