First Anglo-Afghan War ( (1839-1842)
- Background
- The British sought to replace Dost Mohammed Khan with a more compliant ruler, Shah Shuja, who had been dethroned in 1809.
- Shah Shuja was seen as a pro-British alternative.
- Treaty of Lahore (June 1838)
- Signed between Shah Shuja, the British (Indian Government), and Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
- Ensured British and Sikh military support to reinstate Shah Shuja.
Shah Shuja agreed not to engage in foreign policies without British approval.
- Invasion of Afghanistan (February, 1839)
- British and Sikh forces launched an invasion.
- Ranjit Singh did not participate actively and remained in Peshawar.
- Kabul fell on August 7, 1839, and Shah Shuja was installed as ruler.
- Resistance and Failure
- Afghans resented Shah Shuja’s return under British protection.
- Dost Mohammed was captured in 1840, but Afghan anger intensified.
- November 2, 1841: A full-scale uprising in Kabul erupted.
- December 1841: The British agreed to withdraw, but faced constant attacks.
- Aftermath
- The British reoccupied Kabul in September 1842 to restore their prestige.
- Eventually, they withdrew and restored Dost Mohammed’s rule.
- Britain adopted a policy of non-interference in Afghan affairs.
Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880)
- Background
- The British-Russian rivalry (The Great Game) intensified, making Afghanistan a strategic buffer state.
- Afghan ruler Sher Ali sought British support against Russian advances but was denied unconditional assistance.’
- Britain aimed to control Afghanistan’s foreign affairs, leading to tensions.
- Conflict & Invasion (1878-1879)
- 1878: Britain invaded Afghanistan to pressure Sher Ali.
- Sher Ali fled and died in February 1879.
- His son, Yakub Khan, took over and signed the Treaty of Gandamak (May 1879).
- The treaty gave the British control over Afghanistan’s foreign policy and allowed a British mission in Kabul.
- Uprising & Renewed Conflict (1879-1880)
- September 3, 1879: Afghan troops killed British Resident Major Cavagnari and his staff in Kabul.
- This sparked further conflict as Britain retaliated.
- Afghan resistance increased, leading to continued British military campaigns.
- Change in British Policy (1880)
- Lord Ripon replaced Lytton and shifted to a non-interference policy.
- The British installed Abdur Rahman Khan (Dost Mohammed’s grandson) as the new Amir of Afghanistan.
- Britain agreed to support him against foreign threats but withdrew from direct control.
- Aftermath
- Britain retreated from Afghanistan but maintained influence over its foreign policy.
- Afghanistan remained a buffer state between British India and Russia.
- The war ended British ambitions of directly controlling Afghanistan, reinforcing its strategic independence.
Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919)
- Background
- The Russian Revolution of 1917 weakened Russian influence, reducing the northern threat to Afghanistan.
- With Russia no longer a major power in Central Asia, Afghans sought full independence from British control.
- Conflict (February 1919 – August 1919)
- Amir Amanullah Khan succeeded his father, Habibullah Khan, and sought to end
- British dominance over Afghan foreign affairs.
- In February 1919, Amanullah declared war on British India.
- The conflict was brief but intense, with Afghan forces launching attacks on British outposts.
- The British responded with aerial bombings on Kabul, forcing Afghanistan to negotiate peace.
- Outcome & Treaty of Rawalpindi (1921)
- The war ended in August 1919, leading to negotiations.
- The Treaty of Rawalpindi (1921) granted Afghanistan full control over its foreign policy.
- This marked Afghanistan’s emergence as a fully independent state, free from British influence.
- Aftermath
- Britain recognized Afghanistan’s independence, but retained control over the North-West Frontier Province (now in Pakistan).
- Afghanistan established diplomatic relations with other countries, especially Soviet Russia and Turkey.
- Amanullah Khan implemented modernization reforms in Afghanistan.