The Fighting Spirits of Afghan People

The British failed to learn from history. In 1879, they once again attempted to place an envoy in Kabul, hoping to direct Afghanistan’s foreign policy and keep out yet another Russian threat. One of Dost Mohammed’s sons, Shere Ali, refused Britain’s demands and, like his father, fled another army that marched into Kabul. Shere Ali died escaping to Russia, but one of his brothers, Yakub Khan, was installed as amir with British sufferance. By bowing to British pressure, Yakub Khan incurred the wrath of his people, who once again rose up, slaughtering the envoy and the British soldiers in the Residence of the British representative in the capital. Another relief force from India made its way to Kabul and exacted justice for the British envoy, but soon found itself surrounded and cut off from communication with India. A relief force from the fortress town of Kandahar fought through to Kabul, then learned that Kandahar had been besieged in their absence. Troops from Kabul marched back and recaptured the town. Now seemed like a good time to take everyone home, and the British retreated.

Once again rid of foreigners, the new Amir Abd-ar-Rahman Khan created a standing army and by diplomacy settled his borders with both Russia and British India. All was peaceful until 1919, when a new amir, supported by Afghan nobles, declared war on Britain. Since the British were busy with Indian independence movements, they quickly negotiated a settlement whereby Great Britain recognized Afghan sovereignty. Free from outside threats, the Afghans turned upon each other. Rulers came and went over the next several years, all overthrown and either killed or forced into exile. Although the Afghans established friendly relations with Germany, Italy, and Japan in the 1930s when World War II broke out, they declared themselves neutral. After the war they joined the United Nations. In 1947 another border dispute flared. The newly formed nation of Pakistan had a large ethnic Pathan population, people closely related to Afghans. When Pakistan would not allow the Pathans a referendum on self-rule, Afghanistan protested and began supporting Pathan insurgents demanding their own homeland, Pashtunis-tan (or Pathanistan). When the United States established friendly relations with Pakistan and offered military aid, Afghanistan began leaning toward the Soviet Union. With Soviet financial aid, the Afghan government began modernizing the country, but famine in the late 1960s and early 1970s brought aid from around the globe. Internal political squabbling led to more changes of government, still through violent means, until a revolutionary council established a socialist-style republic in 1978. When devout Muslims in this pre dominantly Shi’ite country revolted, the new government sought Soviet military assistance. In December 1979, a Soviet-supported coup killed Afghan Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin and Soviet troops occupied the country. Their experience, 100 years after the last British incursion, would be no more successful.

As many as 118,000 Soviet troops were sent to Afghanistan, but they could do little more than hold the major cities and roadways. The Afghan tribesmen, who had harassed and ultimately embarrassed the British, proceeded to do the same to the Soviets. With covert military aid from the United States, the Muslim tribesmen con- trolled the mountainous countryside and the best Soviet attempts could not break them. In 1989, the disillusioned Soviet government withdrew all its combat troops, and once again the Afghans continued to fight among themselves. The blood of centuries of conquerors seems to have bred in the Afghan people the ability to fight; history has forced on them an ample opportunity to exercise that ability.