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Afghan teenager shoots dead two Taliban militants who killed her parents

Qamar Gul killed two Taliban fighters who murdered her parents. Her face is blurred to protect her identity

An Afghan girl has shot dead two Taliban militants and injured several others after they murdered her parents.

The militants had stormed the family home in the village of Griwa last week because the teenager's father was a government supporter.

Officials from Ghor province said they had dragged the father and mother from the home before murdering them.

The girl, Qamar Gul, aged between 14 and 16, had taken the family's AK-47 rifle and shot dead two of the killers.

More militants came to the house later but villagers and government troops fought them off.

The girl and her younger brother were taken to a safe place by security forces, Mohamed Aref Aber, spokesman for the provincial governor, told AFP.

Photos of Gul were shared on social media, where she was described as a hero.

"Hats off to her courage! Well done," wrote Najiba Rahmi on Facebook. "Power of an Afghan girl," wrote another Facebook user Fazila Alizada.

A peace deal signed by the US and the Taliban in February laid out plans for a withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees from the militants.

But the next stage - talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government - has been delayed over the release of nearly 600 Taliban prisoners.

The release of prisoners on both sides was part of the peace deal.