afghanistanKhan, the deposed wali of Maimana, arrived back in their homelands
they rallied their forces, attacked the Afghan garrisons and expelled them
from their territory. Thousands of Turkmans also took advantage of the
chaos to raid the Chahar Wilayat, plundering settlements and enslaving
an estimated 6,000 women. When the Amir tried to suppress their raids,
his troops were defeated.
The survivors of the Maimana garrison eventually made their way back
to Herat despite the icy conditions, starving and penniless. They demanded
their arrears of pay and went on the rampage when they were told the treas-
ury was empty, pillaging the bazaars and private dwellings. In an attempt
to suppress the disorder ‘Ayub Khan left Mashhad and, fortified by a gift
of Persian cash, took over the government of Herat and distributed what
money he had to the mutinous soldiers. The cash, however, was not enough
to satisfy their demands and ‘Ayub was powerless to bring them to heel.
Meanwhile, Kaufman turned down the Amir’s request for an audience
with the Tsar and refused to allow him to cross into Russian territory.
Instead, he advised the Amir to make peace with Britain on whatever
terms he could negotiate. Kaufman was already in enough trouble for his
unauthorized mission to Kabul and he was not prepared to go out on a
limb again. As for the Russian Foreign Ministry, it had no interest in risking
war with Britain over Afghanistan.
By the time Sher ‘Ali Khan reached Mazar-i Sharif he was in poor
health and his condition continued to worsen. When his swollen legs
turned gangrenous he and his courtiers realized death was not far away.
As rumours of the Amir’s imminent demise spread, a power struggle for
the succession began. One of the Amir’s sons, Muhammad ‘Ali Khan, tried
to seize control of the key garrison of Takhtapul but the troops refused
to allow him to enter. Instead they mutinied, arrested their commanding
officer and elected their own general. Muhammad ‘Ali Khan then headed
south to Deh Zangi, where he began to gather an army to attack Ya‘qub
Khan in Kabul. On 22 February 1879 Sher ‘Ali Khan died and was buried
beside Wazir Akbar Khan in a mausoleum attached to the shrine of Shah-i
Mardan. Following his death, all state resistance to the British invasion
collapsed and the army fell apart. The very survival of Afghanistan as a
nation now hung in the balance.
Amir Sher ‘Ali Khan: an appraisalThe reign of Amir Sher ‘Ali Khan was a troubled one. It had begun with
four years of bitter civil war during which time the country was divided