Standoff at the Khyber Pass (1834–1835)
Battle of Afghan–Sikh War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Standoff at the Khyber Pass (1834–1835) was a short conflict from May 1834 to May 1835 between the Sikh forces led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Afghan forces led by Dost Mohammad Khan. The conflict began as the Sikh Empire expanded into Peshawar, deposing the Peshawar Sardars, while also supporting the deposed Durrani dynasty in their attempts to return to the throne of Afghanistan under Shah Shuja Durrani.
Standoff at the Khyber Pass | |||||||
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Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars | |||||||
Painting titled 'Entrance to the Khyber Pass' by James Atkinson, ca.1840s | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Sikh Empire Peshawar Sardars (defected) | Emirate of Kabul | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hari Singh Nalwa Gulab Singh Dhian Singh Lehna Singh Majithia Tej Singh Jean-François Allard Paolo Avitabile Josiah Harlan Jean-Baptiste Ventura Faqir Azizuddin Claude Auguste Court Attar Singh Sandhanwalia Khushal Singh Misr Sukh Raj Jawala Singh Sultan Mohammad Khan (defected) |
Dost Mohammad Khan Wazir Akbar Khan Jabbar Khan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
80,000—102,000[2][3] | 100,000—130,000[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
100—200 killed in skirmishes[2] | Unknown |
Following Shah Shuja's defeat at Kandahar, Dost Mohammad began mobilizing for conflict with the Sikhs and met the Sikhs at the Khyber Pass in a standoff. Following treachery and intrigues by the Sikhs, the Afghans withdrew, and no major engagement took place, ending the short conflict with the withdrawal of Afghan forces on 11 May 1835.