Battle of Ahmed Khel

The Battle of Ahmed Khel was fought between the British Empire with its British and Indian armies and the Afghans, on the road between Kandahar and Kabul in Afghanistan on 19 April 1880.[2] The battle occurred during General Donald Stewart's march from Kandahar to Kabul via Ghazni, and ended in a British victory.[2]

Battle of Ahmed Khel
Part of Second Anglo-Afghan War

Map of the battlefield
Date19 April 1880
Location
Ahmed Khel, Afghanistan
Result British Indian Victory
Belligerents

British Empire

 Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Sir Donald Martin Stewart Unknown
Strength
7,200 Anglo-Indian troops 15,000 tribal warriors
Casualties and losses
17 dead
124 wounded [1]		 Around 1,700

The British forces, consisting of 7,200 British and Indian troops, were commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Donald Stewart. On the opposite side were 15,000 tribesmen, both mounted and on foot, of the Andarees, Tarkees, Suleiman Khels and other Afghan tribes, led by their tribal leaders.

The Indian regiments were commanded by British officers, in the proportion of 7 British officers to 650 Indian infantry soldiers. This was an insufficient number for units in which all tactical decisions of significance were made by the British, and was particularly inadequate for less experienced units.

For weaponry, the British infantry carried a single-shot Martini–Henry rifle, while the Indian infantry had a similar single-shot rifle, but one of older model. In addition to these rifles the British-Indian cavalry forces were armed with sword, lance and carbines.

During times of peace the Indian army had no formations above regiment level, other than the staffs of garrisons in cities or forts. There was no operational training for staff officers. On the outbreak of war, brigade and divisional staffs had to be established, and were trained through experience.[2]

Order of battle
  • Royal Horse Artillery (F Battery)
  • Royal Artillery
  • 19th Bengal Cavalry (Fane's Lancers)
  • 1st Punjab Cavalry
  • 2nd Punjab Cavalry
  • 59th Foot
  • 2nd/60th Rifles
  • 15th Bengal Native Infantry (Ludhiana Sikhs)
  • 19th Bengal Native Infantry (Punjabis)
  • 25th Bengal Native Infantry (Punjabis)
  • 3rd Gurkha Rifles
  • 2nd Sikh Infantry
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References
  1. MacGregor, Sir Charles Metcalfe (1908). The second Afghan war, 1878-80: official account. J. Murray. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  2. "The Battle of Ahmed Khel". BritishBattles.com. Retrieved 4 April 2013.


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