afghanistancity under siege and ordered sappers to commence mining operations
under the walls.
While the siege of Maimana dragged on, Kandahar fell to Ya‘qub Khan.
Amir ‘Azam Khan sent a desperate message recalling ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan
to Kabul, but it was too late. ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan, realizing that his only
chance of saving his family’s fortunes was to subdue Maimana as quickly
as possible, march on Herat and attack Sher ‘Ali. Khan ordered his troops
to prepare for a second assault. Early on the morning of 17 May 1868 the
mines were sprung and a storming party sent into the breach. The attack-
ers met with stiff resistance from the defenders – even the women threw
rocks down on them from the walls. After more than twelve hours they
were still unable to take the town and were finally recalled. The following
day Mir Husain sent Maimana’s religious leaders to the sardar’s camp and
agreed a face-saving deal, after which ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan set out for
Takhtapul with what was left of his shattered force.
As they marched back through the Chahar Wilayat, Turkman and
Uzbek raiders swooped down, looting the baggage and killing the wounded
and stragglers. By the time ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan reached Takhtapul his
troops were so exhausted that he ordered them into barracks to recuper-
ate, and he himself fell seriously ill. Sher ‘Ali Khan’s nephew Isma‘il Khan,
who had accompanied ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan, declared his support for
his uncle, promptly deserted and headed for Kabul with his regiment. On
21 August 1868 the garrison in Kabul’s Bala Hisar surrendered to Isma‘il
Khan after a brief siege and ‘Azam Khan, who was in Ghazni at the time,
fled north to Takhtapul.
A few weeks later Sher ‘Ali Khan entered Kabul in triumph. ‘Azam
Khan and ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan tried to raise another army in Wardak, but
there was little support for their cause. In the winter of 1868 ‘Azam Khan
was defeated at Shash Gau, near Ghazni, and he and his nephew fled to the
Sistan and from there to Persia, where ‘Azam Khan died. ‘Abd al-Rahman
Khan subsequently made his way to Samarkand, which was by this time
under Russian rule, where he was joined by other Muhammadzais and
supporters of the Afzalid cause.
Britain and the civil war in AfghanistanThe civil war of 1863–8 was a matter of considerable concern for British
officials on a number of counts. In 1864 Russia had resumed its conquests
of the Central Asian Khanates by occupying Kokand, and the following
year Tashkent too fell. The newly conquered territories were designated