A cautionary tale from the book THE ROAD TO KABUL by Gerald de Gaury and HVF Winstone, published in the UK by Quartet, 1981, and by Macmillan, NY, 1982

A summary of Political and Secret document series L/P&S/20 compiled at the India Office 1869 - 1872 by J Talboys Wheeler and H Le Poer Wynne, Under Secretaries in the Foreign Department, Government of India

In 1834 Afghanistan consisted of four separate provinces. Three were governed by warring princes of the Muhammadzais dynasty - Kabul by the charismatic Dost Mahomet Khan; Kandahar by Dost's brother, Kohandil Khan; while a third brother, Sultan Mahomet Khan, held sway over Peshawar, gateway to the Khyber Pass, but under the suzerainty of Runjit Singh, Maharajah of Punjab, Britain's puppet. The last Prince of the Suddozais dynasty, a drunken imbecile by the name of Shah Kamran, ruled Herat, through his minister Yar Mahomet Khan.

In the same year, the pro-British Shah Shujah, pretender to the united amirate of Afghanistan, marched on Kandahar with an army of 72,000 Afghans and Hindus. He defeated Kohandil Khan but was no match for Dost Mahomet Khan who forced him to retreat to Baluchistan. In 54 days of fighting, 54,000 men, women and children were slain.

In 1837 the Persians (Iranians) besieged Herat and during the long agony of the war a lone Englishman, Lt Eldred Pottinger, stayed at the side of the Afghan minister Yar Mahomet Khan. At the same time, Dost Mahomet Khan asked Britain to mediate between him and his enemy Runjit Singh, and thus help him, Dost, to regain Peshawar, which had been taken from him in 1810. In return, he would abandon his claim to Cashmere, annexed by the Punjabis in 1819, even though it was historically an Afghan region. Britain refused to intervene and instead offered Peshawar to the amir's brother, Sultan Mahomet Khan. Runjit Singh then attacked Dost who decided to march on Peshawar in retaliation.

At the battle of Jimrud at the mouth of the Khyber Pass, Dost's two sons defeated the Sikh defenders of Peshawar and regained their father's territory. But Britain was determined to restore Shah Shujah to the throne of Afghanistan. Dost turned to imperial Russia for help though he continued to appeal to Britain for an alliance. The Great Game was in full vigour. The Russian spy and emissary Captain Vikovitch concluded agreements with Kohandil Khan at Kandahar and Dost at Kabul. The details of the Russian pact with the latter were never made known to Britain. Kohandil Khan took Russia's money but betrayed his paymasters. The disgraced Vikovitch returned home to St Petersburg where he took his own life.

In 1839, a British force of 21,000 men led by Lt Gen Sir John Keane was joined along the Indus river by Shah Shujah. By April of that year, Kandahar was captured and Shah Shujah crowned at the mosque of Ahmad Shah. In July the army moved towards Kabul. Dost tried to make peace but Britain refused him. In August, the army entered Kabul unopposed. The mullahs it was said 'fanned the flames of fanaticism'. Dost was given santuary in Bokhara but an attempt was made on his life and he only just escaped drowning. He made his way to Samarcand disguised as a woman. In 1840 he returned to his capital Kabul and surrendered to General Macnaghten. He was confined with his wives at Fort William, Calcutta. Shah Shujah was installed at Kabul.

By 1841, the army command at Kabul had changed. The aged and infirm General Elphinstone took over from Sir Willoughby Cotton. A British force left in October for the hills around Kabul to open up communications with Jelalabad. On 1 November the hill tribes surrounded the force. The British commander in the field reported that all was quiet and the Afghan chiefs loyal to Shah Shujah. Next day insurrection broke out. A tribal leader, Abdullah Khan, said that he personally intended to slay the British Resident Sir Alexander Burnes. 'Sheer braggadocio' said Burnes. Later that day a band of 130 Afghans marched through Kabul to the British Residency, killing every soldier they met on the way. The staff barricaded themselves in the Residency and sent urgent messages to the army for a brigade to defend them. None came. The besieged, 33 in total, held out until the following afternoon. Then the mob burnt down the great gate of the residency and broke into the apartments. Burnes was killed on the spot and mutilated. Twenty-three were murdered with him and cut to pieces. Ten escaped. Captain Johnson, Shah Shujah's paymaster was attacked and all the treasury guards slaughtered (though Johnson escaped) and the treasury pillaged. Within two days the Shah's fortress was captured.

Before long the entire British command and Shah Shujah were blaming each other for the disaster. The whole country rose up in revolt. Snow came to trap the miserable British force that was virtually leaderless and without provisions. Major Pottinger as he now was, arrived from Herat, wounded and without support. He brought news that an entire Gurkha regiment had been wiped out, and that atrocities were being committed all over the country. On 11 December 1941, Sir Wm Macnaghten was forced to commence negotiations with the Afghans. It was agreed that as soon as practicable, the British should withdraw to India and take Shah Shujah with them. When the troops reached Peshawar, Dost Mahomet Khan and all other Afghan prisoners would be released. The Afghans, led by one of Dost's sons, Mahomet Akhbar Khan, promised not to molest the retreating army. By November the country was covered with a thick layer of snow.

Before the withdrawal was under way, however, the British authorities were ordered to deliver up all stores and ammunition. On 23 December, the Commanding Officer Sir Wm Macnaghten and three of his staff set out to parley with Mahomet Akhbar Khan. The British officers were seized as negotiations began and compelled to mount horses so that they could be made to run the gauntlet. Machnaghten was pulled to the ground and shot through the head. The other officers miraculously escaped. After 65 days of unremitting humiliation, the British force left its cantonments.

Ill provisioned and demoralised, the army made its way along the Hindu Kush, its spirit broken its best troops taken hostage by Mahomet Akhbar. As they passed through the precipitous mountain range, the troops and their families looked up to see hordes of tribesmen fanned out along the hills preparing to attack them. Three thousand men perished from gunfire. Others dropped and were despatched by the knives of Ghilzais tribesmen. Mahomet Akhbar Khan offered to take charge of women and children to protect them from the mob, but it was too late. On 10 January, 1842, the pathetic army continued its march to the Khyber Pass, frost bitten and paralysed. Two days later, the army entered the Jugdulluk Pass but found it blocked. A terrible massacre ensued. A few escaped but were later attacked by a mob and wiped out. There were 4,500 fighting men and 12,000 servants, women and children when the force left Kabul. Only one man lived to tell the tale, famously. He was Dr Brydon, the medical officer. He was found clinging to his pony famished and almost dead.

Dost Mahomet Khan had been released in the meantime. He returned to Kabul to a hero's welcome. As the Foreign Department officials wrote in their report: 'The British government made a great mistake' in rejecting him.