Colonial and World War I · 1842

Retreat from Kabul

In the First Anglo-Afghan War about 4,500 soldiers and 12,000 camp followers retreated from Kabul in winter. Almost all were killed or captured, one of Britain's worst disasters in Asia.

The site of the battle on the 1923 map. Shaded: Republic of Turkey, 1923, French mandate, British mandate or occupation, British protection or influence.

Key facts

When: 1842
Where: Kabul to Gandamak, Afghanistan
Sides: Afghan forces vs British Indian army
Commanders: Wazir Akbar Khan vs William Elphinstone
Result: Afghan victory
Type: Colonial and World War I
Chapter: 4. Al-Andalus and the Subcontinent

The wider picture: The end of the caliphate

The Ottomans entered the First World War on Germany's side and lost. Britain and France divided the Arab lands under the Sykes-Picot agreement and the mandates that followed, and British troops entered Jerusalem in December 1917. In Anatolia, Mustafa Kemal won the war of independence and declared a republic in October 1923.

See the 1923 map Read chapter 4

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