Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings about Afghanistan [‎142r] (292/312)

AFGHANISTAN.
Shere Ali is evidently determined to oppose to
the uttermost the demands of the Indian Government;
and, knowing full well that his country lies at the
mercy of an invader, when once the defiles through
the Suliman and Sufaid Koh ranges are forced, he
is taking every step to harass our advance and en
tangle us in difficulties in the mountain passes. With
this object in view he has summoned the Jhirgahs
of the Pathan tribes, all of whom nominally owe
him allegiance. It is extremely doubtful whether
many will openly espouse his cause. That some will
do so is evident from the news we have already pub
lished that the Motnunds are inarching to join his
troops. Others will adopt a neutral course at first,
taking every opportunity of profiting by our
mishaps, of enriching themselves at the expense of
our baggage and transport trains, finally turning
round when they find our arms are triumphant and
giving us their unqualified support. It may be
assumed that of the border clans dwelling imme- !
diately on our frontier line the Momunds, Swatees,
and Zaemukhts will throw in their lot with the
Ameer, while the more discontented and restless
spirits of all the other clans will also find their
way to his standard, only to desert when the
Afghan cause seems hopeless. The tactics of the hill
tribes were recently discussed in these columns. Of
any organized system of warfare they are profoundly
j ignorant, and, like all Oriental nations, consider a
retreat inevitable directly a flanking movement is
commenced against them. They are admirable
light infantry soldiers, and work on a hillside to
perfection, taking every possible advantage of
cover, rarely exposing themselves to a shot, very
careful of their ammunition—altogether foemen not
to be despised. Unused to artillery themsalves, i
they are very averse from being made the subjects of
shell practice. In common with Circassians, Koorde,
j and Zeibecks, they generally fall back when >
jonce the guns obtain their range. They are I
'adepts in the science ©f hasty breastworks, but ;
rarely if ever use intrenchments, probably from
the fact that a spade is unknown in their country,
digging being seldom if ever practised there. In
oflensive warfare they often show as much gal
lantry as they do stubborn obstinacy in defensive
actions. The last Afghan war gave numerous in
stances of their dash ; later still in many of our
border fights we have had brilliant examples—
notably, the charge of the Mahsood Vaziris on
Butts Battery; at the action of the Barara Tungoe,
where a small body of these mountaineers, sword
in hand, drove back skirmishers and supports, pushed
right up to the mountain pieces, being finally cut
down and bayoneted at the very muzzles of the guns
by the 1st Punjab Infantry under Captain Keyes. The
night attack on our camp at Paloseen in the same
campaign was a bravely executed, chough badly
planned affair. At Umbeyla, a small band of
Ghazis performed much the same feat as the Mah-
soods at Burara, charging through the 23d Pioneers
and being cut up to a man by that regiment when |
it had rallied after the first onslaught, the levelled
bayonets of the Royal Fusiliers in rear of the
Native Corps never even checking their ardour.
We have had large experience of their tactics, ample I
proof of their gallantry, are well acquainted with
their numbers, armament, and the various political
causes that will be at work among them. Thus
forewarned, the campaign should present no diffi
culties that we cannot surmount with care, pru
dence, and determination.
The summoning of the Jhirgahs, or tribal coun
cils, by Shere Ali may mean much ; it may amount
to little; it is a step that he would necessarily take,
one for which the Indian Government must have
been fully prepared; but it may be well to look at
its probable results, and for this reason it may be
advisable to enumerate the various tribes who not
only dwell in his immediate kingdom and pay him
annual tribute, but also those who owe him nomi- i
nal allegiance, and may therefore throw in their lot
with his.
Taking those clans who dwell in Afghanistan
proper we have three great divisions—the Afghans,
or Pushtoo-speaking clans ; the Tajaks, Hazara,
and Kazalbashis, who speak Persian, and the
Hindkis and Jats, whose language is a dialect of
Hindoatani. Of these the Afghans, or Pushtoo-
speaking tribes, are the most numerous, and they
again may be divided into the nomad and
fixed clans ; the former, generally speaking, dwell
in Khorassan, the latter in Cabul. They belong to
the Sunni sect of Mahomedans, observe all the
fasts and other ceremonies pertaining to that reli-
ion, together with many that savour strongly of a
ewish origin. Although they profess to be very
strict followers of the prophet, as a race they never
scruple to act in opposition to its tenets if by so
doing they can best serve their own interests. In
some clans they hive but a vague idea of the
forms and customs of Islamism. For instance in
the Dawas Valley, circumcision is unknown,
while in most parts of the country it is incumbent
on a man to marry his deceased brother's widow.
This custom provokes many blood feuds, and it is j
no uncommon thing to Una an Atgnan serving in |
one of our regiments who declines to return to his
home for fear of the fate that he knows will over- j
take him on arrival."Theprincipal Afghan tribes are
the Duranis, who inhabit the provinces of Candahar
and Herat, the Ghilzais, Turis, Shinwaris, and |
Momunds, who dwell in Cabul proper. There are, I
again, numerous clans who inhabit the mountains :
between the outer circle of tribes who skirt our
border and the more settled tribes of Afghanistan |
proper ; of these the best known are the Bajawaris, I
Ningraharis, Kunars, Zaemuckts, Turis, Jajis, |
Mangals, Jadrans, Gurbuz, and Khostwals.
The Duranis are perhaps the most powerful of j
all the Afghan tribes. They inhabit a large tract
between Herat and Candahar, and number upwards
of three-quarter of a .million souls. Their
lands are held on a military tenure. The
Ameer, being a Durani by birth, is consi
dered their immediate chief, and is able to rule
them more effectually than he can other tribes.
Every plough in the Durani lands has to furnish
one horseman for the King's service, a system
that was regularly enforced up to the death of
Dost Mahomed. The poorer people live
in tents, which usually surround the walled
residence of their chiefs. Fach section is ruled
over by a Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. , who is nominally and
actually responsible to the Ameer for the conduct
of his people. Although very observant of all
religious performances, no camp being without its
Moolah or priest, they are very tolerant of all other !
sects. As a rule they are peaceably disposed, and
have no internecine feuds like the other Afghan
races ; the consequence is that the only
opportunities they have for showing their
military qualities are in national wars, and their
reputation for soldierlike qualities has ever |
stood very high. All travellers in Afghan
istan speak well of the Duranis, who are credited
with more spirit, bravery, and civilization than the
other tribes of the country ; being of the ruling
race, they comport themselves with more dignity,
and are extremely devoted to their home. Canda
har is invested with a halo of superstition ; thi
ther they carry the bodies of all their great men
for interment, and it may readily be conjectured
that an English occupation of that city would meet
with strenuous opposition from its founders.
The Ghilzais muster from 300,000 to 400,000,
and dwell in the south-eastern portion of Af
ghanistan. They are subdivided into many clans,
some of whom have fixed habitations ; others
trade in large numbers with Hindostan and
Central Asia. Their caravans at this season of
the year are threading their way through the
passes in the Suliman mountain. When once safe
within the confines of British territory the old men,
women, and children are left encamped in the
Derajat, while the wealthier merchants find their |
way with their wares to the farthest corners of
India to sell the produce of Afghanistan, which
consists chiefly of wool, madder, asafostida,
fruit, and horses. In the spring they re
turn, laden with English merchandise, fire
arms, gunpowder, tea, Manchester goods,
quinine, and other articles of repute in the Cabul
bazaars. As a race, they are fine, stalwart men,
capable of undergoing great hardship and fatigue.
They rarely, if ever, enlist into our service, but of
their soldierlike qualities we have ample proof by the
manner in which they force their way through the
Vaziri country. No better guides than these Po-
windah clans could be found to accompany us into
Afghanistan, while their camels, inured to the
rough paths and scanty grazing of the Suliman
passes, would form admirable material for a trans-
Eort train. Of the fixed Ghilzae clans we
now little ; possibly Colonel Macgregor, in his
recent visit to Khorassan, their home and
jjirth p lacft,. maj hav e .collected sum® infomation
concerning them. Indeed, no man is^better quali
fied to report upon the special characteristics of
the Ghilzaes, and as Quartermaster-General of
the Expeditionary Army his knowledge will be of
peculiar value. The history of this tribe is most in
teresting, descended as they are from the illegitimate
son of an exiled Persian prince, Shah Hussein, but
it is beyond the scope of our present purpose.
The Turis dwell in the Kuram Valley, and can
put, it is computed, about 6,000 fighting men into *5
the field. Although much smaller men than the
Ghilzaes, they nevertheless make fair soldiers,
and as irregular cavalry of the Koord or Circassian
stampfwould be priceless. Whether they would face
anything like heavy fire, or subject themselves to
discipline, it is hard to saybut for plunder or, p
perhaps, foraging they are well qualified. They ^
joined heartily with us in the Cabul Khel Vaziri •
Expedition, and succeeded in carrying off large
quantities of grain and cattle. It is most probable
that the Turis would throw in their lot with us,
but their co-operation would be ineffective and
their value as allies extremely questionable.
The Shinwaris form one of the three principal
so called Khyberri clans dwelling on the northern
slopes of the Sufaid Koh and in the Bajawar Moun
tains. We know very little concerning them, and
that little is most unfavourable. They have ever
shown marked aversion to us, and very few ever enlist
into our service. It is an ascertained fact that they
pay tribute to the Ameer, and that they re- r
ceive from him a small subsidy in return for their