<p>He is called a superhero and feted with financial rewards from Afghan politicians, but the lionisation of the soldier who singlehandedly killed six attackers in parliament belies bubbling discontent over deteriorating security.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Essa Khan Laghmani, 28, was plucked from obscurity and catapulted to national fame this week after he shot dead the Taliban insurgents who on Monday launched a gun and grenade assault on the legislature, sending terrified lawmakers scurrying for cover.<br /><br />"Taq Chapako!" -- "Bang! and down" in Dari -- meanwhile became an Internet meme after he used the phrase in television interviews to describe how he effortlessly knocked down his targets as though they were skittles in a bowling alley.<br /><br />Laghmani's feat offered a rare glimmer of good news during the Taliban's annual summer offensive, which has sent civilian and military casualties soaring and threatened major cities for the first time in a decade.<br /><br />President Ashraf Ghani awarded him a three-bedroom apartment, former warlord General Dostum gifted him a pickup truck and some lawmakers pledged him a month of their salaries and other cash rewards to offer their gratitude. <br /><br />That's not all. His posters are splashed around Kabul, a provincial governor has named a major thoroughfare after him and Afghanistan's starstruck youth have posted poems on social media to extol his "heroism".<br /><br />"He killed six terrorists with six bullets. He saved the lives of MPs," defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP. "His bravery deserves to be celebrated."</p>
<p>He is called a superhero and feted with financial rewards from Afghan politicians, but the lionisation of the soldier who singlehandedly killed six attackers in parliament belies bubbling discontent over deteriorating security.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Essa Khan Laghmani, 28, was plucked from obscurity and catapulted to national fame this week after he shot dead the Taliban insurgents who on Monday launched a gun and grenade assault on the legislature, sending terrified lawmakers scurrying for cover.<br /><br />"Taq Chapako!" -- "Bang! and down" in Dari -- meanwhile became an Internet meme after he used the phrase in television interviews to describe how he effortlessly knocked down his targets as though they were skittles in a bowling alley.<br /><br />Laghmani's feat offered a rare glimmer of good news during the Taliban's annual summer offensive, which has sent civilian and military casualties soaring and threatened major cities for the first time in a decade.<br /><br />President Ashraf Ghani awarded him a three-bedroom apartment, former warlord General Dostum gifted him a pickup truck and some lawmakers pledged him a month of their salaries and other cash rewards to offer their gratitude. <br /><br />That's not all. His posters are splashed around Kabul, a provincial governor has named a major thoroughfare after him and Afghanistan's starstruck youth have posted poems on social media to extol his "heroism".<br /><br />"He killed six terrorists with six bullets. He saved the lives of MPs," defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP. "His bravery deserves to be celebrated."</p>