Second Anglo-Afghan War

Second Anglo–Afghan War
Part of the Great Game
92nd Highlanders at Kandahar. Oil by Richard Caton Woodville Jr.
Date 1878–1880 Location Afghanistan Result Anglo-Afzalid victory[1][2] Treaty of Gandamak Abdur Rahman Khan installed as Emir[3] Territorial changes Kandahar re-ceded to Afghanistan.[4] Districts of Quetta, Pishin, Sibi, Harnai & Thal Chotiali ceded to British India[5]
Belligerents
United Kingdom  India Afzalids	Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Sir Sam Browne Sir Frederick Roberts Sir Donald Stewart Pratap Singh Abdur Rahman Khan Sardar Sher Ali Khan	Sher Ali Khan # Mohammad Yaqub Khan Ayub Khan Ghulam Haidar Khan
Casualties and losses
Total: 10,000 dead[6] 1,850 killed in action or died of wounds 8,000 died of diseases[7]	Total fatalities are unknown 5,000+ killed in major battles[7]

Part of a series on the
History of Afghanistan
The palace of the emir in 1839
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Related historical regions Arachosia Aria Ariana Bactria Gandhara Iran Kabulistan Kafiristan Khorasan Kushanshahr Paropamisadae Sistan Zabulistan
Related topics Political history Political violence Culture Economic history Name Afghan (ethnonym) List of years List of heads of state Wars List of wars Hinduism history Hindu and Buddhist heritage Jewish history Muslim conquests
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The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, Pashto: د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) 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 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.^[8]

During this period, Abdur Rahman Khan, an opponent of 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.^[9]

The second campaign began when Ayub Khan, the governor of Herat, rebelled in July 1880 and marched on Kandahar, defeating 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.^[10]