The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80, Part 1

Description

Written by British war correspondent Archibald Forbes, this book provides a realistic, historically and geographically accurate account of the armed conflicts known as the Anglo-Afghan Wars, the First War known to the author only from history books (he was born in 1838, in the year the war started) and the Second War that the author witnessed personally as a journalist.

The first part discusses the First Anglo-Afghan War, which took place between 1839 and 1842, not merely describing the events, but also providing context and interpretation for them. The war broke out between British imperial India and the Emirate of Afghanistan as the result of the conflicting expansion plans of the British Empire and Russia. The first decades of the 19th century saw an aggravation of the competition between the two empires for interest spheres in Asia – a process known in history as the Great Game.

Russia was expanding its influence in Central Asia, with Britain’s East India Company perceiving the Russian expansion as an increasing threat to its interests. The British sought the alliance of Dost Mohammad Khan against the Russians, but were unwilling to help the Khan regain control over Peshawar for fear of a conflict with the Sikh Army that controlled the city. Though the Khan had plans to ally with the British, he invites a Russian envoy to create the impression that he was going to form an alliance with the Russians. In an attempt to have the Khan replaced with a pro-British successor, the British invaded the Afghan territory in December 1838, invasion that led to a war followed by a revolt of several Afghan tribes in support of the Khan.

The British troops leave Afghanistan in 1842, after a long and bloody conflict that failed to fulfill its initial objective, that of stopping Russian expansion in the region.
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