Tirah Campaign The Tirah Campaign , often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition , was an Indian frontier war in 1897 – 1898 . Tirah is a mountainous tract of country . Rebellion . The Afridi tribe had for sixteen years received a subsidy from the government of British India for the safeguarding of the Khyber Pass , in addition to which the government had maintained for this purpose a local regiment entirely composed of Afridis , who were stationed in the pass . Suddenly , however , the tribesmen rose , captured all the posts in the Khyber held by their own countrymen , and attacked the forts on the Samana Range near the city of Peshawar . The Battle of Saragarhi occurred at this stage . It was estimated that the Afridi s and Orakzai s could , if united , bring from 40 , 000 to 50 , 000 men into the field . The preparations for the expedition occupied some time , and meanwhile British authorities first dealt with the Mohmand rising northwest of the Khyber Pass . British advance . October . The general commanding was General Sir William Lockhart commanding the Punjab Army Corps ; he had under him 34 , 882 men , British and Indian , in addition to 20 , 000 followers . The frontier post of Kohat was selected as the base of the campaign , and it was decided to advance along a single line . On 18 October , the operations commenced , fighting ensuing immediately . The Dargai heights , which commanded the line of advance , were captured without difficulty , but abandoned owing to the want of water . On 20 October the same positions were stormed , with a loss of 199 of the British force killed and wounded . The progress of the expedition , along a difficult track through the mountains , was obstinately contested on 29 October at the Sampagha Pass leading to the Mastura valley , and on 31 October at the Arhanga Pass from the Mastura to the Tirah valley . November . The force , in detached brigades , now proceeded to traverse the Tirah district in all directions , and to destroy the walled and fortified hamlets of the Afridis . The two divisions available for this duty numbered about 20 , 000 men . A force about 3 , 200 strong commanded by Brigadier - General ( afterwards Major General Sir Richard ) Westmacott was first employed to attack Saran Sar , which was easily carried , but during the retirement the troops were hard pressed by the enemy and the casualties numbered sixty - four . On 11 November , Saran Sar was again attacked by the brigade of Brigadier - General ( afterwards Sir Alfred ) Gaselee . Experience enabled better dispositions to be made , and the casualties were only three . The traversing of the valley continued , and on 13 November Brigadier General Francis James Kempster ' s third brigade visited the Waran valley via the Tseri Kandao Pass . Little difficulty was experienced during the advance , and several villages were destroyed ; but on the 16th , during the return march , the rearguard was hotly engaged all day , and had to be relieved by fresh troops next morning . The casualties in the British force numbered seventy - two . Almost daily the Afridis , too wise to risk general engagements , waged a perpetual guerrilla warfare , and the various bodies of troops engaged in foraging or survey duties were constantly attacked . On 21 November , a brigade under Brigadier - General Westmacott was detached to visit the Rajgul valley . The road was exceedingly difficult and steady opposition was encountered . The objectives were accomplished , and the casualties during the retirement alone numbered twenty - three . The last task undertaken was the punishment of the Chamkannis , Mamuzais and Massozais . This was carried out by Brigadier - General Gaselee , who joined hands with the Kurram movable column ordered up for the purpose . The Mamuzais and Massozais submitted immediately , but the Chamkannis offered resistance on the 1st and 2 December , the British casualties numbering about thirty . December . The Kurram column then returned to its camp , and Lockhart prepared to evacuate Tirah , despatching his two divisions by separate routes : the first under Major - General W . Penn Symons ( d . 1899 ) to return via the Mastura valley , destroying the forts on the way , and to join at Bara , within easy march of Peshawar ; the second division under Major General Yeatman Biggs ( d . 1898 ) , and , accompanied by Lockhart , to move along the Bara valley . The base was thus to be transferred from Kohat to Peshawar . The return march began on 9 December . The cold was intense , 21 degrees of frost being registered before leaving Tirah . The movement of the first division though arduous was practically unopposed , but the 40 miles to be covered by the second division were contested almost throughout . The actual march down the Bara valley ( 34 miles ) commenced on 10 December , and involved four days of the hardest fighting and marching of the campaign . The road crossed and recrossed the icy stream , while snow , sleet and rain fell constantly . On the 10th , the casualties numbered about twenty . On the 11th , some fifty or sixty casualties were recorded among the troops , but many followers were killed or died of exposure , and quantities of stores were lost . On the 12th , the column halted for rest . On the 13th , the march was resumed in improved weather , though the cold was still severe . The rearguard was heavily engaged , and the casualties numbered about sixty . On the 14th , after further fighting , a junction with the Peshawar column was effected . The first division , aided by the Peshawar column , now took possession of the Khyber forts without opposition . Surrender . Negotiations for peace were then begun with the Afridis , who under the threat of another expedition into Tirah in the spring at length agreed to pay the fines and to surrender the rifles demanded . The expeditionary force was broken up on 4 April 1898 . A memorable feature of this campaign was the presence in the fighting line of the Imperial Service native troops under their own officers , while several of the best known of the Indian princes served on Lockhart ' s staff .