#Trending: A Teenage Afghan Girl Avenged The Murder Of Her Parents By Shooting The Taliban Militants Dead. This Takes Courage

#Trending: A Teenage Afghan Girl Avenged The Murder Of Her Parents By Shooting The Taliban Militants Dead. This Takes Courage

The first time I read A Thousand Splendid Suns, I was in the 7th grade. Since then, I have read and reread the classic novel tens of times and I always try and picture what the lives of Mariam and Laila must be like. If you thought women are treated badly in India, you haven’t read anything describing the nightmare the women in Afghanistan are living. It’s scary. And when I say scary, I actually mean worse than all the horror movies in the world put together. 

Actually, it’s not just the women. Under the Taliban rule, every single citizen of Afghanistan is vulnerable and lives in constant fear. Of course, as usual, the women have it a lot worse. Although, today’s story is a good one, full of inspiration and badass-ery. Believe it. It is about how a young girl stood up to the Taliban and avenged the murder of her parents.  

The incident took place last week. A group of around 40 insurgents stormed the village of Geriveh, in central Ghor province, where 16-year-old (approximate age) Qamar Gul was living with her parents and brother. 

They were looking for Gul’s father who they believed supported the government. According to reports, the Taliban fighters knocked on the door at 1am on 17th July. When her mother went to see who it was, she realised they were armed and refused to open the door. She was shot dead immediately. The attackers then entered the house and shot her father. Some reports say that the attackers killed the couple outside their house. 

Gul, who witnessed the murder of her parents took an AK-47 that her family had and shot and killed three of the Taliban insurgents and injured many more. She, along with her 12-year-old brother Habibullah started a one-hour battle with the attackers. 

Local police head Habiburahman Malekzada told AFP that, “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, and then injured a few others.” 

Several Taliban fighters came back later to attack her house again but they were warded off by several pro-government militiamen and villagers after a gunfight.

Also Read: In Case You Missed This, Greta Thunberg Met Malala Yousafzai At Oxford University. There Is Hope!

A photo of Gul wearing a headscarf and holding a machine gun has gone viral on social media. Her heroic act is garnering love and praises from people all over the world. 

Afghan officials have taken Qamar Gul and her younger brother to a safe place in the provincial capital. 

Mohamed Aref Aber, a spokesman for the provincial governor said, “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.”  

According to the local media, Ghor is still one of the most underdeveloped parts of Western Afghanistan. The rate of violence against women is very high there. 

I don’t know about you’ll but this tragic incident reminded us of another woman, who in the face of similar adversities, stood strong and persevered. And today, she is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate and one of the most sought after and influential women in the world. Yep, I am talking about Malala Yousafzai. We need more women like Malala and Qamar Gul in this world.  

Qamar Gul is a real hero, there aren’t many people in the world as brave as her.

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/un-secretary-general-antonio-guterres-says-womens-rights-are-dire-and-we-need-more-men-like-him-to-acknowledge-their-privilege/

Mitali Shah

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