History of Battle of Jamrud

The Battle of Jamrud was fought between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Sikh Empire on 30 April 1837. It was the last struggle for Dost Mohammed Khan to capture Peshawar. Afghan forces confronted the Sikh forces at Jamrud. By the time Sikh reinforcements had arrived, the garrison army was able to hold the Afghans.

Background
The Battle of Jamrud was fought between the Sikhs under Maharajah Ranjit Singh and the Afghans under Emir Dost Muhammad Khan. Following the consolidation of the Sikh Empire in Punjab, Maharajah Ranjit Singh had turned the wave of invasions on Afghan-held territories. The Afghans had been losing their long held territories to Sikhs over the preceding years due to internal conflicts, and had seen their once mighty empire shrink with the loss of the Punjab region, Multan, Kashmir, Derajat, Hazara and Peshawar.

Prelude
The battle is related to the attempt by Afghan Emir Dost Mohammad Khan to recapture the lands he had lost in previous years, such as the strategically important Khyber Pass and the town of Peshawar . As part of this effort, strong troops led by  Dost Mohammad's son, Wazir Akbar Khan (later emir and himself for about a three-year period until his premature death) attacked the Jammrud Fortress, between his entrance. of the Chaiber Pass and the Peshawar, which was defended by about 800 men under Mahan Singh Mirpuri, as the bulk of the Sikh troops had moved to Lahore.

Once it became known Afghan invasion and subsequent siege, sent to aid the besieged infantry forces cavalry (especially irregular) and artillery led by General Hari Singh Naloua. Aid to the besieged arrived a few days later and according to one version led to the cessation of hostilities.

The battle
Towards the end of 1836, Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa attacked and captured the small, though very strategic, fortified Misha Khel Khyberi village of Jamrud, situated on the south-side of a range of mountains at the mouth of the Khyber pass. With the conquest of Jamrud, the frontier of the Sikh Empire now bordered the frontier of Afghanistan.

In 1837, the Sikh army was in Lahore for the wedding of Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh, the grandson of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.The Emir of Afghanistan, Dost Muhammad Khan, accompanied by five of his sons, rushed with his army to drive the Sikhs out of Peshawar. The Sikh general Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa was killed in the battle. Many eyewitnesses claimed Nalwa ordered his dead body to be hung outside the fort before he died, discouraging the Afghans from attacking, believing Nalwa was still alive.

The general of the Afghan forces was the son of the Emir of Afghanistan, Wazir Akbar Khan, who is estimated to have commanded 7,000 horsemen, 2000 infantry men, several cannons, and the support of several thousands of non-combatants. local tribes who had been displaced by the Sikh expansion. At his side was Mohammed 's brother Afzal Khan and other generals. Its total Afghan force was about 20,000 men.

In the opposite camp, the leadership of the forces Shih was the eminent military Hari Singh Naloua which had arrived with a troop consisting of about 10,000 men, i.e. 6000 pedestrians and 4000 riders and artillery to be amplified of Mahan Singh Mirpuri and his soldiers.

The battle began when King Nalua ordered a frontal attack that forced the majority of the enemy forces to retreat, but the Sikh advance was limited due to the strong defenses that were sustained by some 2,000 Afghans while the Afghan forces were under Afghan control.. This development enabled the Afghans to rebuild and launch a powerful counterattack that overthrew the Sikhs who had to flee within the fort, having suffered significant casualties, including Singh Nalou, who was fatally wounded and succumbed to his injuries while being carried away from the battlefield.

However, the Afghans were not able to evacuate the fort, nor advance to Peshawar, and finally, after looting, they departed after a few days in view of the arrival of new enemy troops.

Result of the battle
Hari Singh was fatally injured and later died of injuries. Afghans couldn't occupy the fort nor were able to gain possession of Peshawar.The result of the battle is disputed amongst historians. Some contend the failure of the Afghans to take the fort as a victory for the Sikhs. Whereas, some state an Afghan victory, James Norris, Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M International University, states that the battle's outcome was inconclusive.

Evaluation
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by the Sikh army on the battlefield, the outcome of the conflict is considered ambiguous. Although both sides claimed the victory, neither achieved its objective, as the Emirate of Afghanistan failed to capture Jammu- rand and pave the way for the recovery of the wider Peshawar area and left the wishes of the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh, for further spread to Afghanistan.