From the Black Mountain to Waziristan: Being an account of the border countries and the more turbulent of the tribes controlled by the north-west frontier province, and of our military relations with them in the pastWylly, H. C. (Harold Carmichael)
History
From the Black Mountain to Waziristan: Being an account of the border countries and the more turbulent of the tribes controlled by the north-west frontier province, and of our military relations with them in the past
The gatherings of the tribesmen had now increased. There were a number
of Bunerwals at Baio and in this neighbourhood, and in the Chagarzai
country to the north there appeared to be a coalition of all the clans
from Thakot to the Peshawar border—from Buner, Chamla, and from the
Amazai and Gadun country. In consequence of these concentrations of
clans, a regiment of cavalry and a battalion of infantry were ordered up
from Nowshera to Mardan, and, with the troops already in garrison at the
last-named place, were held in readiness for service against the
Bunerwals; and the reserve brigade from Rawal Pindi was concentrated at
Darband. At the same time representations were made to the Buner jirgah
that we had no intention of invading either their country or that of the
Chagarzais, but that they would be attacked if their forces did not
disperse. These warnings had the desired effect, and the Bunerwals
returned to their homes, while the lower Hassanzais had already made
their submission. Towards the end of April the whole of the country of
the Akazais, who still remained recalcitrant, was visited, and shortly
after Darband was evacuated and the base transferred to Oghi; but it was
not until a month later that the Akazai jirgah at last came in and
tendered the unconditional submission of the tribe. The three Isazai
divisions, with the Saiyids and Chagarzais of Pariari, consented to the
perpetual banishment from their territories of a notorious disturber of
the peace, one Hashim Ali, and promised generally to be of good
behaviour and to exclude the Hindustani fanatics from their country.
Early in June the bulk of the troops composing the force returned to
India, but some remained until the end of November in occupation of Seri
and Oghi and of the crest of the Black Mountain.
In these operations—which cost us nine killed and thirty-nine wounded—we
had a larger coalition against us than in any other expedition, with the
exception of the Ambela outbreak of 1863 and the Pathan revolt of 1897.
In March 1892 the Hassanzais and Mada Khels broke the engagement into
which they had entered with the British Government, by permitting Hashim
Ali to return to their country and settle at Baio; and accordingly in
October a force of 6250 men and two guns, organised in two brigades,
advanced from Darband under Major-General Sir William Lockhart. The
Indus was crossed at Marer, and on the 6th October the two brigades
advanced on Baio—the First Brigade from Wale and the Second Brigade from
Manjakot. Baio was found deserted, and was destroyed, as was also Doba,
a Mada Khel village. Demolitions were also carried out in Manja Kot,
Karor, Garhi and Nawekili, and the force was back on the 11th October at
Darband, where it was broken up. None of the tribesmen offered any
resistance, and there were no casualties, but the troops suffered a good
deal from fever and also from cholera.
[Sidenote: End of the Operations]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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