Siege of Jalalabad (1928–1929)
| Siege of Jalalabad | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929) | |||||||||
Jalalabad Siege of Jalalabad (1928–1929) (Afghanistan) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Kingdom of Afghanistan | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown |
300 (initially) 10,000 (by 15 December) | ||||||||
The Siege of Jalalabad was the first military engagement of the Afghan Civil War of 1928–1929.
On 14 November 1928, the Shinwari tribe rebelled and besieged Jalalabad. Shortly afterwards, they drew a manifesto of ten grievances, five of which related to what they saw as Amanullah's unsupportable meddling with the status of women. However, during the Shinwari rebellion (1930), the Shinwari claimed that the 1928 revolt was "not so much anti-Amanullah as against the local tax-collectors at Jelalabad".
The only link to the besieged city was by airplane. On 16–17 November, Dakka was unsuccessfully attacked. Afghan posts were disarmed, Achin’s treasury was looted of Rs. 60,000, and the fort of Kahi was captured after token resistance. The government dispatched troops, munitions, and Russian-piloted bombers to defeat the rebels.
By the end of November, Jalalabad faced investment by Shinwaris, Khugianis, and some Mohmands. A sortie on 1 December temporarily drove the rebels back, but the siege continued. A failed rebel assault on 5 December cost them 800 casualties. By 15 December, the rebels tallied at 10,000, then boosted by a victory at Nimla on 18 December. Meanwhile, the Saqqawist threat to Kabul diverted Afghan government focus from relieving Jalalabad.
Ali Ahmad Khan, a former governor of Kabul, was dispatched to Jalalabad to resolve the crisis. Negotiations with the Shinwaris were underway by the end of December, and on 4 January 1929, a treaty ended the siege. The terms of the treaty officially remained secret. Fayz Muhammad wrote that Ali "managed to pacify the rebels, winning over the savage Shinwaris to the amir with cash and other gifts"