AFGHAN authorities have taken a teenage girl to safety after she shot dead three Taliban fighters last week who murdered her parents for allegedly supporting President Ashraf Ghani’s government.

The incident happened when 40 Islamist insurgents entered the village of Geriveh, central Ghor province, looking for Qamar Gul’s father, the village chief.

Local police chief Habiburahman Malekzada said that the Taliban knocked on the door of the family home at 1am and dragged her father outside.

When his wife resisted the pair were shot dead, Mr Malekzada said, after which Qamar picked up her father’s weapon and fought back in a one-hour battle with the Taliban, alongside her 12-year-old brother, Habibullah.

“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 [before] injuring a few others,” he said.

At least 100,000 Afghans are estimated to have been killed since the US invasion and subsequent occupation in 2001.

A recent peace deal was struck, which will see US troops leave Afghanistan and paves the way for the Taliban to return to parliament.

Despite the agreement, Taliban forces have continued to attack government officials and security services, which they deem legitimate targets.

The Islamists regularly kill those they suspect of being supporters of the government or informers to the security services.

Qasam Gul and her brother have been taken to a safe place for fear of reprisals after a photograph of her with an AK-47 on her lap went viral.

Spokesman for the provincial government Mohamed Aref Aber said the pair were recovering from shock but were doing well.