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Modern wars · 1971

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

After months of civil war in East Pakistan, India invaded in December. About 90,000 Pakistani soldiers and officials were taken prisoner, and East Pakistan became Bangladesh.

The site of the battle on the 2026 map. Shaded: Countries hit by major wars since 1979, Gaza and the West Bank.

Key facts

When
1971
Where
East Pakistan and the western border
Sides
Pakistan vs India and the Mukti Bahini
Commanders
Yahya Khan vs Indira Gandhi
Result
Pakistani surrender at Dhaka, 16 December 1971
Type
Modern wars
Chapter
7. The Modern Muslim World

The wider picture: Nation states and modern wars

Most Muslim lands won independence between the 1920s and the 1960s. Since then the region has seen more war than almost anywhere else: Israel's wars with its neighbours, two Afghan wars, the Iran Iraq war, American wars in Iraq, civil wars in Syria and Yemen, and in 2026 a war on Iran.

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