Battle of Ali Masjid

Battle of Ali Masjid
Part of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
The interior of Ali Masjid, following the battle.
Date 21 November 1878 Location Western end of the Khyber Pass, Afghanistan Result British victory; Afghan retreat
Belligerents
British Empire  India	Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Sir Samuel J. Browne	Ghulam Haider Khan Mir Akhor
Strength
3,000 infantry, 600 militia, 200 cavalry	3,000 Infantry, 600 Khasadurs, 320 Gunners, 200 Cavalry
Casualties and losses
16 killed, 34 wounded	300 captured

British Empire

The Battle of Ali Masjid, which took place on 21 November 1878, was the opening battle in the Second Anglo-Afghan War between the British forces, under Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel James Browne, and the Afghan forces, under Ghulam Haider Khan. The perceived offence of an Afghan general's refusal to allow a British envoy entrance to the country was used as an excuse to attack the fortress of Ali Masjid, as the opening battle in the war. Despite numerous setbacks, including half the troops getting lost or delayed and missing the battle entirely, the British were lucky that the Afghans abandoned their position overnight.

Following the 1837 Battle of Jamrud, Dost Muhammad Khan had built the fortress of Ali Masjid to assert his sovereignty over the Khyber region. However, the fortress was captured only two years later by 11,000 troops commanded by Lt. Col. Claude Martin Wade on 26 July 1839.

On 21 September, two months prior to the battle, British envoy General Neville Chamberlain had tried to enter Kabul, but had been ordered to withdraw by Faiz Muhammad, the commander of Ali Masjid. Britain issued an ultimatum demanding that Sher Ali apologise for the incident.

On 23 October, a group of scouts was sent to reconnoitre the fortress, and assess Afghan defences in preparation for an invasion.

The First Brigade had started training for the attack during the summer while they were stationed in the Miree Hills.

...
Wikipedia