Battle of Jamrud
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Battle of Jamrud was fought between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Sikh Empire on 30 April 1837. The Sikhs were building up towards crossing the Khyber pass in order to invade Jalalabad. This led Afghan forces to confront the Sikh forces at Jamrud. The Afghan attempt to retake Peshawar from the invading Sikhs failed, but the killing of Sikh General Hari Singh Nalwa[1] limited the Khyber pass as the western extent of the Sikh Empire, which was ended about a decade later by the British. The battle resulted in a victory for the Afghan forces. Amir Dost Muhammad defeated the Sikhs and took up the title of "Commander of the Faithful."[2]
Background
The Battle of Jamrud was fought between the Sikhs under Maharajah Ranjit Singh and the Afghans under Emir Dost Muhammad Khan. Since the consolidation of the Sikh Empire in Punjab, Maharajah Ranjit Singh had turned the wave of invasions on Afghanistan. The Afghans had been losing their long held territories to Sikhs over the preceding years due to internal conflicts, and had seen their once mighty empire shrink with the loss of the Punjab region, Multan, Kashmir, Derajat, Hazara and Peshawar. The last three now largely constitute Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the well trained Fauj-I-Khas. The loss of Peshawar was the most personal as the inhabitants of the region were Pashtuns and the city was the second capital of Afghanistan.[3]
Prelude and Battle
Towards the end of 1836, Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa attacked and captured the small, though very strategic, fortified Misha Khel Khyberi village of Jamrud, situated on the south-side of a range of mountains at the mouth of the Khyber pass. With the conquest of Jamrud, the frontier of the Sikh Empire now bordered the frontier of Afghanistan.
In 1837, the Sikh army was in Lahore for Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh's wedding, (the grandson of Maharaja Ranjit Singh). It is alleged that inside information on the goings-on in Lahore were sent to Kabul by the Dogras which encouraged the Afghans to attack and attempt to reclaim Peshawar. The Emir of Afghanistan Dost Muhammad Khan immediately rushed his army accompanied by no less than five of his sons to drive the Sikhs out of Peshawar. Sikh general Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa was killed in the encounter by a hidden Afghan shooter. Many eyewitnesses claimed Nalwa ordered his under garments to be hung outside the fort before he died discouraging the Afghans from attacking, believing Nalwa was still alive.[4] The battle resulted in a victory for the Afghan forces. Amir Dost Muhammad defeated the Sikhs and took up the title of "Commander of the Faithful."[2]
See also
- Battle of Panipat (1761)
- Battle of Attock
- Battle of Multan
- Battle of Shopian
- Battle of Nowshera
- Battle of Peshawar (1834)
- Baba Deep Singh
References
- ↑ http://www.harisinghnalwa.com/index.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-century Land Warfare: An Illustrated World View, by Byron Farwell Published by W.W. Norton, 2001. ISBN 0-393-04770-9, ISBN 978-0-393-04770-7.
- ↑ Chief and families of Note in Punjab, Vol II, op.cit., pp. 87,89,90
External links
