The step was taken to ensure wild animals safety and natural beauty, Provincial Director for Environmental Protection Qari Faiz Rahman Ibrahimi said.

After killing a brown bear in the mountainous Darwaz district a week ago, the killers took a picture with the dead animal and posted it on social media, the official said.

The Afghan caretaker government has banned deforestation, hunting wild animals and birds to protect the environment and natural beauty in the country, Xinhua news agency reported.