Khost rebellion (1912)

The Khost rebellion was a rebellion in Khost that took place in 1912 in the Emirate of Afghanistan, and was the only serious crisis during the reign of Habibullah Khan.[8]

Khost rebellion (1912)
Date2 May[note 1] – 14 August 1912[note 2]
(3 months and 3 weeks)
Location
Khost, Emirate of Afghanistan
Result Government victory
Belligerents
 Emirate of Afghanistan

Rebel tribes

Commanders and leaders
 Jehandad Khan
Strength
4,000 regulars[7]
18,000 tribesmen[7]		 unknown

Its causes laid in the "rapacity and exactions"[8] of Muhammad Akbar Khan, the local governor of the Khost district.[2] The rebellion, which was led by Jehandad Khan,[2] began on 2 May 1912,[note 1] when Mangal and Jadran tribesmen in Khost, Afghanistan rose up,[1] quickly overwhelmed various isolated garrisons,[2] and besieged Muhammad Akbar at Matun.[1] Later that month, they were joined by the Ghilzai.[8] Understanding the danger posed by the revolt, Habibullah sent Muhammad Nadir Khan to quell the rebellion.[2] Alongside regular infantry, Nadir was also aided by Tajik levies who were unlikely to show any sympathy to the rebels.[2] In the British Raj, tribesmen of the Kurram District were restricted from entering Afghanistan to aid the revolt.[3]

Muhammad Akbar eventually managed to break out of his besieged fort.[2] By the end of May, Nadir had forced the rebels to sue for peace, and Jehandad Khan had fled to the British Raj, where he unsuccessfully lobbied for a British intervention.[2] On 13 June, the rebellion was reported to be subsiding,[1] and peace negotiations were going on in that same month.[2] However, peace negotiations broke down, and in June 1912 fighting resumed.[2] It ended on 14 August 1912,[note 2] when the rebels surrendered after concessions were unexpectedly given by Afghan authorities,[8] which included the replacement of Muhammad Akbar Khan by a new governor,[2] Dost Muhammad.[9] Habibullah's decision to show clemency to the rebels laid in a desire to conciliate enemies inherited from his predecessors, and the understanding that his acceptance of western ideas and encouragement of modern technical improvements had undermined his own popularity.[8]

Notes
  1. 2 May 1912 is the start date used by Encyclopædia Britannica,[1] but W. Hale[2] and the Summary of the Administration of Lord Hardinge of Penhurst, November 1910 – March 1916[3] say that it started in March 1912.
  2. 14 August 1912 is the end date used by Encyclopædia Britannica,[1] but the Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan states that the rebellion was suppressed in December.[4] W. Hale says that peace was restored "by the end of July".[2]

References
  1. Chisholm, Hugh (1913). Britannica Year-book, 1913 -: A Survey of the World's Progress Since the Completion in 1910 of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  2. Hale, W. (1966). AFGHANISTAN, BRITAIN AND RUSSIA 1905 - 21. pp. 16, 17, 18.
  3. Summary of the Administration of Lord Hardinge of Penhurst, November 1910 – March 1916. p. 93.
  4. Adamec, Ludwig W. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan. Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN 9780810878150. MUHAMMAD NADIR SHAH (1883–1933). King of Afghanistan, 1929–1933, the son of Sardar Muhammad Yusuf Khan, he embarked on a military career. Appointed a brigadier in 1906, he was promoted to lieutenant general (naib salar) for his services in suppressing the Mangal Revolt in December 1912.
  5. Adamec, Ludwig W. (1975). Historical and Political Who's who of Afghanistan. Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt. p. 194. ISBN 9783201009218.
  6. Clements, Frank; Adamec, Ludwig W. (2003). Conflict in Afghanistan: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 156. ISBN 9781851094028.
  7. Roy, Kaushik (2015-02-12). War and Society in Afghanistan: From the Mughals to the Americans, 1500–2013. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199089444. In 1912, there was an uprising in Khost, and Amir Habibullah suppressed it with 4,000 regulars and 18,000 tribesmen.
  8. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature & General Information; the Three New Supplementary Volumes Constituting with the Volumes of the Latest Standard Edition, the Thirteenth Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Company, Limited. 1926. p. 46.
  9. Adamec, Ludwig (1975). "Who's Who of Afghanistan" (PDF). docshare04.docshare.tips. p. 133.
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