Conquest of Kafiristan
| Conquest of Kafiristan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Emirate of Afghanistan | Kafiristan | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Abdur Rahman Khan Mohammad Ali Khan Ghulam Haidar Khan Charkhi General Katal Khan Fayz Mohammad Charkhi | No centralised leadership | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown |
Heavy Many executed or displaced | ||||||||
In the winter of 1895, Emir Abdur Rahman Khan conquered Kafiristan as part of his campaign to consolidate Afghan territorial control. The region was later renamed "Nuristan (Land of Light)" to reflect the population's conversion to Islam. Pre-Islamic shrines, idols, and ritual structures were destroyed, and religious leaders were either executed, marginalised, or co-opted.