Third Anglo-Afghan War

Part of the Interwar Period

Date

6 May – 8 August 1919

Location

North-West Frontier of the British Indian Empire and Afghanistan

Result

Tactical British victory, Strategic Afghan victory

Afghan independence with full sovereignty in foreign affairs.
Reaffirmation of the Durand Line.

Belligerents

Afghanistan

British Empire

Commanders and leaders

Alexander Eustace

Strength

50,000-man standing army supported by up to 80,000 tribesmen

8 divisions, 5 independent brigades and 3 cavalry brigades, plus a number of modern aircraft, armoured cars and artillery

Casualties and losses

approx. 1,000 killed

236 killed in action, 1516 wounded or died of disease.

Tactical British victory, Strategic Afghan victory

British Empire

The Third Anglo-Afghan War (Pashto: د افغان-انګرېز درېمه جګړه), also referred to as the Third Afghan War, began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. According to British author Michael Barthorp, it was a minor tactical victory for the British because the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to foment trouble on the British side. The Afghans were able to resume the right to conduct their own foreign affairs as a fully independent state.

The root cause of the Third Anglo-Afghan War lies many years before the actual fighting commenced. For the British in India, Afghanistan was long seen as a potential source of threat. For a long time the British worried about Russian intentions in the region, concerned that a possible invasion of India could be launched by Tsarist forces through Afghanistan. This period became known as the Great Game. In an effort to negate this threat, the British made numerous attempts at imposing their will upon Kabul, and over the course of the 19th Century fought two wars: the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42) and the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–80).

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Wikipedia