Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-10-15
WHO AY00B KHAN Is.
The Life and Busy Career Of an AZ.
ghanistan entertain.


The victory Of Ayoob Khan will have
the effect Of bringing this young prince
of the Barakzai house prominently
forward as an active participation in
the guidance of events in eastern AT.
ghanistan. Up to the present time he
had held aloof from the Vaccinations
at Cabul and Candahar, and the view
had become general that he was either
personally incompetent or indifferent
to the progress Of affairs. Both opin.
ions are now shown to be fallacious by
the success of the Herati army. and
Ayoob Khan will henceforth occupy Il
prominent place in the imagination OF
the Afghan people rs their
most successful champion. While
his name will undoubtedly serve to
give increased cohesion to the so-called
national party, his birth, together with
the promise of ability now afforded,
will tend to make him among his fol-
! lowers the natural successor of his
brother Yakoob. Whereas up to the
present he remained in the background,
circumstances have now brought him
prominently forward, and in the flu
ture settlement Of Afghanistan the role
he will play must necessarily be an
important one.
Ayoob, 50 far NJ our information
goes, is the son Of the late Ameer
Sherc Ali, by the daughter Of the Mo-
mand chief Of Lalpura, thus being the
fnll brother of Yakoob Kahn. He
was born in or about the year 1851 and
took part in the campaign Of 1867 =,
which resulted in tie triumph of va
kooh and the restoration of Shere Ali
to the throne. His name was not
mentioned, however, until Il much later
period. In 1871 Iakoob had fallen in
to disfayor with his father, and had for
safety withdrawn from Cahul. In the
following year he retired to Seistan and
soon afterward, gathering around him
a small band Of adventures, among
whom Ayoob was prominent, he Mt
tackled lIerat and expelled Shere Ais
government Until the close of the
| year lS7J, Sakoob ruled there in indie
pendent state and he was assisted in
the task Of government By his young
brother Ayoob. In the year mentioned
the well-known attempt to reconcile
the conflicting pretensions of Shere Ali
and his son was made, and 1akoob
went under Il safe conduct to Cabul,
where he was arrested and cast into
prison. In his absence he had left Ayoob
iii charge of Herat, but the prompt
measures taken by the Amecr and the
skill shown by his general, Omar Khan,
made his rule there one of very brief
duration, On the approach Of Shere
Ais army he fled to Persia, where he
was granted IN honorable reception and
allotted pension by the Shah. From
1871 until the flight of Shere Ali from
Cahul, III December, ISIS, he resided IN
Persia, generally mt Meshed, but when
the Afghan power erumbled away in its
first contact with our own, he saw that
an opportunity offered itself for cstab-
fishing himself III lferat. The governor
nominated by the Amer was apparent
" 10th to refuse an entrance to Ayoob
ut Il time when II common danger
seemed to sink I'LL party differences. but
as soon rs tile young prince had obtain
cd admission into llerat he intrigued,
and successfully, against his fathers
representative. When Gakoob Khan
was negotiating with lis at Gandamak.
his brother Ayoob had 50 .fnr
west that he was in Il position to send
fresh troops To take part i'll the war
against ourselves. These arrived on
the scene too late, for the treaty Of
Gandamark had been signed 1t is
generally understood that Ayoob, ON
learning the conclusion Of the war, re-
preached his brother for having made
territorial concessions to the lnidel;
and the part taken by the Herat lcyies
III the attack on the Gabul residrney
will also be remembered rs substan-
tally this view
Ayooh showed nc inclination to leave
llerat and come 10 Cabal after the
Withdrawal 0E our troops last yeara
circumstance which may he attributed
either to his disinclination TO surrender
independent authority, or 10 the con-
sideration that the communication
through Canadian wa only practicable
with our assent. Even after the ont
break Of the last campaign he long
remained passive, and despite fire.
quent rumors, II was only within the
last few weeks that he showed any I'M
clinatlon 70 take m active part III the
progress Of events. His success will
inevitably make him the natural
leader Of the party Of lakoob, and,
while everything depends on his skill,
recollectlons, are unayoidably aroused
of the former proves and ability
shown hy his brother in the same quar-
ter where he is nov operating. He
doubtless hopes to emulate the career
of his uncle, the famous Akhar Khan.
hut lie will find that the state Of affairs
is vastly different now from what il was
in ISL 1t would he IL impossible a.
il i necessary q deny that Ayood has
shown that he possesses something 81
the great qualities which have made
the BarakNtis supreme III Aighanistan
during the Inst three generations