Hazara Victory
57-793: The Hazara genocide occurred in the aftermath of the Second Anglo-Afghan War when the Afghanistan Emirate signed the Treaty of Gandamak . Afghan Amir Abdur Rahman set out to bring the Turkistan , Hazaristan , and Kafiristan regions under his control. He launched several campaigns in the Hazarajat due to resistance to oppression from the Hazaras, culminating in the Battle of Uruzgan and he conducted
114-563: A condolence message to Sher Ali, the British informed Sher Ali that the mission would leave Peshawar for Kabul in September. Lord Lytton , the viceroy of India , ordered a diplomatic mission to set out for Kabul in September 1878 but the mission was turned back as it approached the eastern entrance of the Khyber Pass . A deadline was established for 20 November, where if a response was not given by
171-625: A continuing buffer between the British Raj and the Russian Empire . Ironically many of these polices had been desired by Sher Ali Khan , and war could have been prevented had they been implemented earlier. The war was expensive for Britain, spending some 17 million pounds during the war, which was three times the estimated cost. The costs rose just before the British left in March 1881, estimating to be around 19.5 million pounds. Despite attempts from
228-722: A different route. At the end of the first phase of the war in May 1879, the Peshawar Force was withdrawn, while the Kandahar Force was reduced in size. In September 1879, at the beginning of the second phase, additional British and Indian Army units were despatched to Afghanistan, while the Kurram Valley Force was reinforced, and redesignated the Kabul Field Force. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from
285-644: 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
342-531: A publication now in the public domain : Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Abdur Rahman Khan ". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 37–38. First Battle Of Uruzgan Faiz Moohammed Khan [REDACTED] Entire Army Slaughtered The First Battle of Uruzgan took place in Uruzgan on August 9, 1892 between the Uruzgani Hazaras and
399-398: 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
456-462: A widespread genocidal campaign against its population. The Hazaras are a Shia Muslim minority in predominantly Sunni Muslim countries. This religious difference has contributed to their historic marginalization and made them targets of sectarian violence. Over 60 percent of the total Hazara population was massacred with some being displaced and exiled by migrating to Quetta ( Pakistan ) and Mashhad ( Iran ) and other adjoining areas. The Hazara land
513-425: Is a famous story of 40 Hazara girls in Uruzgan committing suicide to escape sex slavery during the persecution. 30 mule loads; or roughly over 400 decapitated Hazara heads were allegedly sent to Kabul. The Sultan Ahmad Hazara tribe of Uruzgan was in particular severely persecuted. The Beshud Hazara tribe too faced the brunt of Amir's crackdown in particular as well. It is estimated that more than sixty percent of
570-489: The Amir – Sher Ali Khan to flee. Ali's successor Mohammad Yaqub Khan immediately sued for peace and the Treaty of Gandamak was then signed on 26 May 1879. The British sent an envoy and mission led by Sir Louis Cavagnari to Kabul, but on 3 September this mission was massacred and the conflict was reignited by Ayub Khan which led to the abdication of his brother Yaqub. During this period, Abdur Rahman Khan , an opponent of
627-506: The Bukharans aided Muhammad Ishaq Khan, a son of Mohammad Azam Khan . He occupied Aqcha , but was later defeated. Following his defeat, the Afghan governor of Balkh , Muhammad Khan, purged much of the province of Afzalid supporters, seizing lands and exacting imprisonment and execution on those thought to be sympathizers. Districts that had aided the rebellion faced hefty fines, and the rulers of
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#1732869292089684-650: The Chahar Wilayat were mandatorily forced to re-affirm their allegiance to Sher Ali Khan by traveling to Kabul every year. In 1875, Husain Khan, the ruler of Maimana , refused to honour his oath and executed several government officials, declaring allegiance under the ruler of Bukhara. The rebellion was quelled, however when the leaders of the insurrection were brought before Sher Ali, he refused to execute them in honour of their former oaths, and instead had Muhammad Khan killed. These circumstances of events brought further support to
741-639: 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
798-607: The First Battle Of Uruzgan , where Hazara forces managed to defeat 2 waves of Afghan attacks in Uruzgan After the revolt unfolded; Hazara tribal leaders like Muhammad, Karbala-i-Raza and others were arrested after trying to flee. Abdur Rahman kept various Hazara chiefs as hostages in Kabul ; yet eventually sent them back to Uruzgan; after the revolt was crushed they were then sent back to Kabul again. After months of fighting,
855-582: The Kingdom of Afghanistan during the famous Hazara Uprisings . When the Afghan forces under the leadership of Brigadier Zabardast Khan were challenged by a force of Uruzgani Hazaras, the Afghan forces were defeated in a fierce battle. When the news of this defeat reached his brother, Faiz Mohammad Khan, he prepared a force of Afghans and marched towards Uruzgan where he also fought the Uruzgani Hazaras and after
912-572: 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
969-570: The 'Iron Amir'. He also refused to give information regarding his troops, with his own autobiography criticizing British policy, while also violating the Lyall agreement by instead of allowing the British to oversee his diplomatic affairs, held them himself with numerous countries including Iran , the Ottoman Empire , and the German Empire . Abdur Rahman also wrote in pamphlets, encouraging Jihad against
1026-487: The Afghan government, war would be declared. A day before the deadline, Sher Ali sent a messenger to Peshawar but failed to arrive on time, and turned away after news of the British invasion began. 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
1083-810: The Afzalids in Samarkand, with many Amirs of the Chahar Wilayat beginning to correspond with Abdur Rahman Khan and the Afzalid faction. After tension between Russia and Britain in Europe ended with the June 1878 Congress of Berlin , Russia turned its attention to Central Asia. That same summer, Russia sent an uninvited diplomatic mission to Kabul. Sher Ali Khan , the Amir of Afghanistan , tried unsuccessfully to keep them out. Russian envoys arrived in Kabul on 22 July 1878, and on 14 August,
1140-503: 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. With British forces occupying Kabul , Sher Ali's son and successor, Yaqub Khan, signed
1197-675: The British and the Russians, claiming both wished to end Afghanistan as a state. Senior British officials found it extremely difficult to further cooperate with Abdur Rahman Khan and Afghanistan due to the Turkestan atrocities, as well as his actions against the Hazaras . The British believed they had no other alternative but to support Abdur Rahman Khan, scoring a diplomatic victory for him. Despite this, no further trouble resulted between Afghanistan and British India during Rahman's period of rule. The Russians kept well out of Afghan internal affairs, with
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#17328692920891254-627: The British at the battle of Maiwand . The campaign ended in September 1880 when the British decisively defeated Ayub Khan outside Kandahar . Abdur Rahman Khan, now the sole ruler, created the buffer the British wanted between the Raj and the Russian Empire. British and Indian soldiers then withdrew from Afghanistan. A significant political group in Afghanistan at the time were the Afzalids. The Afzalids were originally supporters of Mohammad Afzal Khan to
1311-414: The British demanded that Sher Ali accept a British mission too. The British informed Sher Ali that a British mission would arrive in Kabul as well with or without his consent. However, as news of this arrived, Sher Ali's son and heir, Abdullah Jan had died. With mourning and the funeral taking place, nobody wished to show Sher Ali the British message. Eventually the message was revealed by his chamberlain. In
1368-544: 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
1425-546: 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, 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
1482-546: 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,
1539-518: The British to dissuade Afghanistan from Russian influence, Abdur Rahman Khan adopted an autocratic government similar to the Tsars of Russia, inspired by Peter the Great from his time in exile in Turkestan. Alongside this, despite the British attempting to prop up Afghanistan as a key ally, Abdur Rahman Khan often acted against the British, with atrocities horrifying even Queen Victoria , and he became known as
1596-405: The British, began distinguishing himself as a possible successor candidate to become the Amir of Afghanistan through his exploits in northern Afghanistan. Eventually after moving on Kabul , he was crowned and then later recognized by the British as the ruler of Afghanistan. The second campaign began when Ayub Khan , the governor of Herat , rebelled in July 1880 and marched on Kandahar, defeating
1653-479: 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,
1710-584: The Hazara population were massacred and some displaced and exiled during Abdur Rahman's campaign against them. Hazara farmers were often forced to give up their property to Pashtuns and as a result, many Hazara families had to leave seasonally to the major cities in Afghanistan , Iran, or Pakistan to find jobs and a source of income. Quetta in Pakistan is home to the third largest settlements of Hazara outside Afghanistan. Sayed Askar Mousavi , estimates that more than half of
1767-474: 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
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1824-521: 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
1881-473: The Spring of 1892. According to Sayed Askar Mousavi , the cause of the uprising was an assault on the wife of a Hazara chieftain by Afghan soldiers. The families of both the man and his wife killed the soldiers involved and attacked the local garrison. Several other tribal chiefs who supported Abdur Rahman now turned against him and joined the rebellion, which rapidly spread through the entire Hazarajat. In response to
1938-504: The Treaty of Gandamak, whereby the British took control of the territories ceded by Yaqub Khan. The provocative policy of maintaining a British resident in Kabul was abandoned, but instead British Indian Muslim agents were to be left to smooth liaison between the governments. Britain would also handle Afghanistan's foreign policy in exchange for protection and a subsidy. The Afghan tribes maintained internal rule and local customs, and provided
1995-513: 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
2052-415: The cities of Kabul and Qandahar, while numerous towers of human heads were made from the defeated rebels as a warning to others who might challenge the rule of the Amir". Abdur Rahman ordered that all weapons of the Hazara be confiscated and for Sunni Mullahs to impose a Sunni interpretation of Islam. The third uprising of Hazara was in response to excessive taxation, starting in early 1893. This revolt took
2109-405: 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
2166-541: The deaths of the victims of the Hazara uprisings of the 1890s on September 25 (called the "Hazara Black Day") and it wants the International community to recognize the subjugation of the Hazaras as a genocide . Second Anglo-Afghan War [REDACTED] United Kingdom [REDACTED] Afghanistan Total: 10,000 dead Total fatalities are unknown The Second Anglo-Afghan War ( Dari : جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, Pashto : د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه )
2223-541: The entire population of Hazarajat was driven out of their villages, including many who were massacred. Encyclopædia Iranica claims: "It is difficult to verify such an estimate, but the memory of the conquest of the Hazārajāt by ʿAbd-al-Raḥmān Khan certainly remains vivid among the Hazāras themselves, and has heavily influenced their relations with the Afghan state throughout the 20th century." In 1894 802 Hazara leaders who survived
2280-518: The exception of the Panjdeh incident three years later, resolved by arbitration and negotiation after an initial British ultimatum. In 1893, Mortimer Durand was dispatched to Kabul by British India to sign an agreement with Rahman for fixing the limits of their respective spheres of influence as well as improving diplomatic relations and trade. On November 12, 1893, the Durand Line Agreement
2337-628: The government forces by surprise and the Hazara managed to take most of Hazarajat back. During the revolt the Hazaras arrested or killed the governor of Gizu ; the governor of Uruzgan tried to plead to the Hazaras that the Amir would listen to their demands. The provincial forces responded to the revolt with military force; in this response the Hakim of Gizu reported to the governor general of Balochistan that General Mir Atta Khan at Gizu committed "great excesses" in Gizu. Hazaras also managed to commit great success in
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2394-443: The leadership of Sawar Khan and Syed Jafar Khan continued against the government troops, but at last, were defeated. Taxes were imposed and Afghan administrators were sent to occupied places, where they subjugated the people with abuses. People were disarmed, villages were looted, local tribal chiefs were imprisoned or executed, and the better lands were confiscated and given to Kochi people ( nomads ). The second uprising occurred in
2451-487: 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. With Ayub Khan defeated, the war was officially over with Abdur Rahman Khan ruling as Amir, he was seen as the real victor of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Despite attempts by the British to hold on to Kandahar , they decided to return it to Afghanistan. Rahman confirmed
2508-682: The next phase of the Second Afghan War. 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
2565-508: The rebellion were killed or exiled after being captured. Others claim that Hazaras began leaving their hometown of Hazarajat due to poverty and in search of employment mostly in the 20th century. Most of these Hazaras immigrated to neighboring Balochistan , where they were provided permanent settlement by the government of British India. Others settled in and around Mashad , in the Khorasan Province of Iran . The Hazara diaspora mourns
2622-707: The rebellion, the Emir declared a " jihad " against the Shias and raised an army of up to 40,000 soldiers, 10,000 mounted troops, and 100,000 armed civilians (most of whom were the Pashtun nomads ). He also brought in British military advisers to train his army. The large army defeated the rebellion at its center, in Oruzgan , by 1892 and the local population was massacred with some being displaced. "thousands of Hazara men, and women were sold in
2679-516: The revolt. The revolt was short-lived and crushed as the Emir extended his control over large parts of Hazarajat. Leaders of the Sheikh Ali Hazaras had allies in two groups, Shia and Sunni . Abdur Rahman took advantage of the situation, pitting Sunni Hazara against the Shia Hazara, and made pacts among the Hazara. After all of Sheikh Ali Hazaras' chiefs were sent to Kabul , opposition within
2736-513: 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
2793-475: The throne of Afghanistan during the civil war on Dost Mohammad's succession . The Afzalids were eventually defeated by Sher Ali Khan but many fled in exile to Samarkand in the Russian Empire under the authority of Abdur Rahman Khan , who was actively given asylum by the Russian government and brought worries to the British about a future pro-Russian claimant to the throne of Afghanistan. On one such occasion,
2850-474: The throne, but also looked to install his cousin Abdur Rahman Khan (half nephew of the former Sher Ali) as Amir instead. 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,
2907-422: The uprising Hazaras were eventually defeated due to a shortage of food; in response to such food shortages Abdur Rahman ordered grain be sent from Herat to Uruzgan . Small pockets of resistance continued to the end of the year as government troops committed atrocities against civilians and deported entire villages. The governor of Balochistan reported to the foreign department of India that he believed Abdur Rahman
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#17328692920892964-638: Was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty , the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan . The war was part of the Great Game between the British and Russian empires. The war was split into two campaigns – the first began in November 1878 with the British invasion of Afghanistan from India . The British were quickly victorious and forced
3021-484: 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
3078-475: Was distributed among loyalist villagers of nearby non-Hazaras. The repression after the uprising has been called the most significant case of genocide or ethnic cleansing in the history of modern Afghanistan . The first Hazara uprising against Abdur Rahman took place between 1888 and 1890. When Abdur Rahman's cousin, Mohammad Eshaq, revolted against him, tribal leaders of the Sheikh Ali Hazaras joined
3135-485: Was intending to exterminate the Hazaras. Massive forced displacements, especially in Oruzgan and Daychopan , continued as lands were confiscated and populations were expelled or fled. Out of 132,000 families, 10,000 to 15,000 Hazara families fled the country to northern Afghanistan, Mashhad (Iran), and Quetta (Pakistan), and 7,000 to 10,000 Hazaras submitted to Abdur Rahman, and the rest fought until they were defeated. There
3192-659: Was reached. This led to the creation of a new North-West Frontier Province . There were several decisive actions in the Second Anglo–Afghan War, from 1878 to 1880. Here are the battles and actions in chronological order. An asterisk (*) indicates a clasp was awarded for that particular battle with the Afghanistan Medal . In November 1878, at the start of the war, the British established three Field Forces – designated Peshawar Valley , Kurram Valley and Kandahar respectively – each of which invaded Afghanistan by
3249-434: 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
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