Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-10
Afghan
Blaze.

is neither economical nor political. appar-
emily. but religious. Afghanistan is MO-
ha mmedan and the fact that the fanatl-
cal mullahs are in the foreground Is SIN
gularly significant and Ominous.
With a perfect knowledge OF the men
ace that threatens her west of the nous
England has always kept her best officers
at convenient posts of danger. Al t:is
critical moment Mai. Gen. Sir James VIII
cocks Is in command. Gen. Willcocks Is
an experienced soldier who served In the
Afghan campaign of 1880. and suose-
quently in the Sudan. in Burmah. emma
and in South Africa. This officer mas
quickly moved to the scepe. where he mas
already met an Overwhelming force OF
.AfGhans in an attempt to seize the block
houses commanding the khyber pass. ana
is reported as having repulsed them after
a severe and hOtly contested battle.
dispatches that the Ameer Of Afghan.stah
is at the back Of what may prove formi-
dable revolt i'm all India. and that inc
present affair Is only signal hre Tor me
general cOnflagratiOn. The plot 10 XIII
Gen. Kitchener by bombs and the con-
LESSONS of some of the cOnspirators nave
affected consols as well as Indian stocks
on exchange. an indication which augurs
i'll for the future.
Habib Uilah Khan is the reigning
OF Abdur Rahman Khan,
Reipninp grandson of Afzul Khan and
great grandson Of Dost MO-
AMeeF' manned Khan. He was
born in 1872 and succeeded to power on
the death of his father in 1901.
Dost Mohammed Khan. the founder or
the present dynasty. was ameer In 1870.
when he entered into secret negotiations
with Russia which resulted In an expedi-
ton by the British in 1888.
In November. 1S41. Sir Alexander Burns
AMI suite were assassnated at kabul. and
a few days later Sir William MacNaugh-
ton met like fate. A British army
was completely annihilated. only one
member of the expedition surviving to tell
the tale DR.. Dryden. who arrived half
deaU at Jalalabad, was the sole survivor
of 800 soldiers and 1900 camp fol-
lowers.
In April two columns were sent to
avenge the massacre. one column under
Gen. Pollock by way of khyber pass and
another under Gen. Knott through Bolan
pass. with the result that Shah Shugah
wds established OH the throne as king.
When the Shah Shugah was assassi-
mated the British released Dost Moham-
med from prison and restored him to
the throne. During the mutiny of the
native army in India in 1851 Dost Moham-
med remained a faithful ally 10 the Brit
sh. He died in 1863. and was succeeded
by his son, Shir Ali.
Shir Ali having manifested sympathy
for Russia by the reception of a Russian
embassy at Kabul. the British sent a
second expedition to kandahar in 1879
and imposed upon Yakub Khan. who had
succeeded on the death of his father, the
treaty OF Gandamak. - This treaty secured
an extension of territory. the three passes
of Khodjak. Pafvar. and Kaiber OF Khy-
Der. and the privilege OF a British repre-
sentative TO reside at kabul. In accord
ahce with the treaty. Sir Louis Cavagnarf
accompanied by his suite. proceeded to
kabul where shortly afterward the entire
embassy was murdered by the population
and the ameer overthrown.
A third expedition was undertaken
under Gen. Roberts. and entered kabul
September %. 1879. The murderers Of
cuted. and the Ameer Yakub Khan was
sent as a prisoner to India.
Abdur Rahman Khan, the eldest son of
Afzul Khan. was recognized by the Brit
ish as amer Yakub Khan
Roberts found means to escape. and
ct the head OF his partisans
''ceoiy' totally defeated Gen. Bur-
rows. On the 9Th of August. 1850. Gen.
Roberts made his celebrated march for
the relief of Kandahar. arriving there on
tn, 3lst and inflicting disastrous defeat
upon Yakub the following day
England evacuated kandahar in 1881
and voted a subsidy Of several million
rupees. In the meantime Russia was adj
vancing from the northwest and occupied
Merv. In 1884 Russia and England ar
ranged for the nomination Of a mixed
commission which should conciliate their
mutual interests in the disputed territory.
The ameer died in 1901. and was sue
ceeded by the present Ameer Habib u
lah Kahn. who I'm his treaties with the
British is recognized as the Independent
sovereign of Afghanistan. and is honored
In all treaty documents with the title of
hts majesty"
Situated on the future great road to
India. Afghanistan has always been. since
quering armies Cyrus and Darius. and
then Alexander the Great; Turks and
Arabs followed in the sixth century; Gengis
Khan in the thirteenth; Timur In the four
tenth; the Mongol Baber in he sixteenth;
in the seventeenth and eighteenth CEN
turtles the Afghan princes struggled
against the Persian sovereigns. and one
or the. other dominated alternately the
plateau Of Iran until 1741. when Ahmed
Abdallah. son Of the Khan OF Herat
nasty of the Dourani. From that date
begins the contemporary history of At
ghaniStan.
When Napoleon l obtained in 1907 the
support of Persia against India England
blocked this move by OBJ
NAPOLEON tanning the alliance of the
Ameer Of Afghanistan 1t
o'Ao was amid anarchy and
revolt that Dost Mohammed. the brother
of the grand vizier to the last of the
Dourani. seized the throne and appeal
ing to Russia for aid. Afghanistan thus
became the objective point of Russian
and British ambitions.
Afghanistan, although accredited with
population of only five million souls
may nevertheless put in the field a half
million of men. And this may be under
stood when every Afghan is by birth and
education d man of war from his child
hood.
The peace organization of the army is
estimated at 10000. a regular army Of
eighty regiments of infantry. forty regi-
ments of cavalry and 1W batteries of
artillery. police force of 10000 and
tribal auxiliaries of 10000 The British
troops may only inform us at this mo-