First phase The first campaign began in November 1878 when a British force of about 50,000 fighting men, mostly Indians, was distributed into three military columns which penetrated Afghanistan at three different points. The British victories at the battles of
Ali Masjid and
Peiwar Kotal meant that the approach to Kabul was left virtually undefended by Afghan troops. An alarmed
Sher Ali left for
Mazar-i-Sharif. This was done in hopes of the British overstretching their armies in Afghanistan, and make it difficult for the British to occupy parts of southern Afghanistan for an indefinite period of time, as well as that the Afghan tribes would eventually rise up. Further drawing off of
Dost Mohammad Khan and
Wazir Akbar Khan's tactics in the
First Anglo-Afghan War. Mazar-i-Sharif was safe as well, with winter already ongoing, the British would be unable to pass the snow littered
Hindu Kush. Alongside this, over 15,000 Afghan soldiers were present in
Afghan Turkestan, which Sher Ali began preparing to assemble more men across Afghanistan. Sher Ali also attempted to appeal in person to the Russian Tsar for assistance, but he wasn't allowed to enter Russian territory, and their insistence was that he should seek terms of surrender from the British. He returned to
Mazar-i-Sharif, where his health began to suffer, leading to his death on 21 February 1879. Before leaving for Afghan Turkestan, Sher Ali released the surviving governors of the
Chahar Wilayat that he had previously imprisoned. Upon Sher Ali's arrival to Mazar-i-Sharif, Sher Ali promised them the return of their states if they had assisted against the British in the war to come. Many of the governors, having been imprisoned for longer than a decade, all due to similar oaths being broken. As a result, seeing an opportunity to declare independence, Muhammad Khan, the former governor of
Sar-I-Pul, alongside Husain Khan, the former governor of the
Maimana Khanate, all declared independence against Afghan rule, rallying their own armies and expelling Afghan garrisons. A wave of Turkmen raids also began into Afghan Turkestan as a result, seeing some 6,000 women being enslaved, with forces from Sher Ali to repel the raids being defeated. With Sher Ali's death, a tumultuous period began over his succession. One of his sons, Muhammad Ali Khan, attempted to seize
Takhtapul, however the garrison mutinied, forcing him to move south towards
Dai Zangi, where he began assembling an army against Yaqub Khan.
Yaqub Khan was declared the new Amir, with many sardars that were thought to have ties with the Afzalid faction were imprisoned. In Mazar-i-Sharif, Yaqub Khan's son, Muhammad Musa, assembled a force and seized Takhtapul, sending the leader of the mutineers to Kabul, where he was executed. Ayub Khan, supporting his brother's succession, did not oppose him. However, much of the military forces and officers in
Balkh and
Herat instead supported the Afzalids. Ayub Khan began facing anarchy in Herat, with much of the forces from the expelled from Maimana demanding payment. Ayub Khan sent numerous requests to Mazar-i-Sharif, imminently requesting aid in cash. Despite receiving funds, the troops began rioting, and were turned away by Ayub Khan towards Yaqub Khan, stating he would be capable of paying them.
Treaty With British forces occupying
Kabul, Sher Ali's son and successor, Yaqub Khan, signed the
Treaty of Gandamak on 26 May 1879. According to this agreement and in return for an annual subsidy and vague assurances of assistance in case of foreign aggression, Yaqub relinquished control of Afghan foreign affairs to Britain. British representatives were installed in Kabul and other locations, and their control was extended to the
Khyber and
Michni passes, and Afghanistan ceded various
North-West Frontier Province areas and
Quetta to Britain, including the strategic fort of
Jamrud. Yaqub Khan also renounced all rights to interfering in the internal affairs of the
Afridi tribe. In return, Yaqub Khan only received an annual subsidy of 600,000 rupees, with the British pledging to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan excluding
Kandahar. However, on 3 September 1879 an uprising in Kabul led to the slaughter of
Sir Louis Cavagnari, the British representative, along with his guards, and staff – provoking the next phase of the Second Afghan War.
Second phase personality traits of elephants and mules respectively, this photograph by
John Burke shows an elephant and mule battery during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The mule team would have towed the small
field gun, which appears to be a
Rifled Muzzle Loader (RML) 7-pounder mountain gun. The elephant towed the larger gun, apparently a
Rifled breech loader (RBL) 40-pounder Armstrong Major General Sir
Frederick Roberts led the
Kabul Field Force over the Shutargardan Pass into central Afghanistan, defeated the
Afghan Army at
Charasiab on 6 October 1879, and occupied
Kabul two days later.
Ghazi Mohammad Jan Khan Wardak, and a force of 10,000 Afghans, staged an uprising and attacked British forces near Kabul in the
Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment in December 1879. The rebellion collapsed after the failure of a direct attack on Roberts' force on 23 December. Yaqub Khan, suspected of complicity in the massacre of Cavagnari and his staff, was obliged to abdicate. The British considered a number of possible political settlements, including partitioning Afghanistan between multiple rulers or placing Yaqub's brother
Ayub Khan on the throne, but also looked to install his cousin
Abdur Rahman Khan (half nephew of the former Sher Ali) as Amir instead. on the obverse, Arabic inscription in four lines on the reverse. These issues were struck under local authorities who routinely recalled and devalued the coppers. This abusive practice led to a great variety of types, often featuring various animal or flower motifs. Accordingly, the types on this coin were likely not ordered by the occupation authorities, but rather placed by an opportunistic engraver eager to please the occupiers.
Exploits of Abdur Rahman Khan Abdur Rahman Khan meanwhile had been in exile in Turkestan. Upon the death of Sher Ali Khan he requested from the Russians to enter Afghanistan as a claimant of the throne. This request was denied. However, following
Yaqub Khan's abdication, as well as the British occupation of Kabul, the Russians allowed Abdur Rahman Khan to re-enter Afghanistan. Abdur Rahman made way for
Badakhshan, whose ruler he had marriage ties with. While on route, he did a pilgrimage to the shrine of
Khwaja Ahrar, taking his banner after claiming he had a vision that ensured victory. The ruler of Badakhshan did not permit Abdur Rahman to ford the Amu Darya, to which Abdur Rahman did so further downstream. He then crossed a mountain pass while it snowed, arriving at
Rostaq, where its garrison defected. With the fall of Rostaq, Abdur Rahman met the Mir of Badakhshan in battle, forcing him to flee to
Chitral while Abdur Rahman annexed Badakhshan. Abdur Rahman requested from Sultan Murad of
Kunduz for military access so he could advance on
Kabul. This request was denied. However, Ghulam Haidar Khan, Yaqub's governor of
Balkh, attacked Kunduz, occupying it, and forcing Sultan Murad to flee to
Fayzabad. Sultan Murad then aligned with Abdur Rahman, and encouraged rebellion against Ghulam Haidar, with the commander of
Takhtapul declaring for Abdur Rahman. Ghulam Haidar fled across the Amu Darya, leaving the entirety of
Afghan Turkestan under Abdur Rahman's control. The British, eyeing for a suitable candidate to be the ruler of
Afghanistan, scouted Abdur Rahman Khan, and began negotiating with him. Abdur Rahman was reluctant to accept such a proposal, as he considered himself an opponent of the British, with his own men wishing for Jihad against them. While negotiations continued, the British considered numerous political solutions, including dividing Afghanistan into numerous kingdoms. The British were seeking to a quick conclusion to the war due to the resignation of
Lytton, with his successor, the
Marquis of Ripon, wishing to withdraw all British troops from Afghanistan as quickly as possible. With this, the British no longer wished to uphold a British envoy in Afghanistan. However, both sides continued to differ, with the British wishing to keep
Kandahar under their control with Sardar Sher Ali as governor, while Abdur Rahman saw it imperative as a part of Afghanistan. Believing that the British might withdraw, Abdur Rahman Khan arrived in
Charikar sometime in July 1880, where religious leaders from regions such as
Panjshir,
Kohistan, and
Tagab welcomed his arrival. On 19 July, the British informed Abdur Rahman that they were prepared to recognize him as the ruler of Afghanistan, inviting him to Kabul for a ceremony. Abdur Rahman called a
Jirga, with many tribal leaders declaring for him, while Abdur Rahman was declared the Amir of
Kabul.
Ayub Khan's rebellion Ayub Khan, who had been serving as governor of Herat, rose in revolt, defeated a British detachment at the
Battle of Maiwand in July 1880 and besieged Kandahar. Roberts then led the main British force from Kabul and decisively defeated Ayub Khan on 1 September at the
Battle of Kandahar, bringing his rebellion to an end. ==Aftermath==