A 16-year-old Afghan teen, Qamar Gul, is being praised for her heroism after she murdered two Taliban fighters and injured several more who killed her parents at their home.
What We Know:
- Gul had the most traumatizing experience on July 17 when she witnessed her parents’ murder by Taliban fighters. The tragic incident occurred when Gul’s mother heard a knock on the door around 1 a.m. and went to see who it was. When she saw armed men, she refused to open the door.
- The Taliban fighters broke into their home, dragging out Gul’s mother and father, who they were looking for. Her father, according to local police head Habiburahman Malekzada, was pro-government and the village chief, which is why the Taliban fighters were searching for him. The Taliban is a military organization in Afghanistan seen as a significant threat to its government.
- Outside of their home, Gul’s parents were murdered. That’s when Gul sprung into action to protect herself and her 12-year-old brother Habibullah. She grabbed the AK-47 that her family kept in her house, shot and murdered two insurgents, and injured a few others.
- More Taliban fighters arrived at the home and ended up in a gunfight with villagers and pro-government militiamen until the Taliban fighters retreated. After, Gul and her brother were moved to a safer place by Afghan security. “They are saying: ‘This was our right because we did not need to live without our parents,’” provincial governor spokesman Mohamed Aref Aber said. “They don’t have many relatives other than a half-brother who lives in the same village.”
- After the attack, a photo of the teen with the AK-47 in her lap and a hijab on went viral, and commenters praised Gul for her heroic actions and the courage she had.
The Guardian later reported that three insurgents were killed.
