The Khost rebellion, also known as the 1924 Mangal uprising, the Khost revolt or the Mangal Revolt was an uprising against the Westernization and modernizing reforms of Afghanistan’s king, Amanullah Khan. The uprising was launched in Southern Province, Afghanistan, and lasted from March 1924 to 1925. It was fought by the Mangal Pashtun tribe, later joined by the Sulaiman Khel, Ali Khel, Jaji, Jadran and Ahmadzai tribes. After causing the death of over 14,000 Afghans, the revolt was finally quelled in 1925.
Background Prior to 1924, the city of Khost had rebelled twice: the first rebellion took place from 1856 to 1857 and was fought by Khostwal and Waziri and Dawar tribesmen against the rule of Dost Mohammad Khan. The second rebellion took place in 1912 and was a rebellion by the Mangal, Jadran, and Ghilzai tribes against the "rapacity and exactions" of the local governor, and saw Habibullah Khan's reign contested by Jehandad Khan.
There were multiple reasons for the rebellion in 1924, including opposition to the Westernizing reforms made by King Amanullah of Afghanistan, a code promulgated in 1923 called the "Nizamnama", which granted women more freedom and allowed the government to regulate other issues seen as family problems, which were formerly handled by religious authorities, a new law which restricted passage for the eastern tribes across the Durand Line, restrictions placed on the practice of polygyny, the abolition of child marriage, the imposition of property taxes, the "insolent, brazen and deceitful" actions of district chiefs, governors, and military officers, the bribery of ministers, judges and clerks, ignoring the pleas of "the needy", the increase of customs duties, a military draft, and other regulations which were aimed at "ending strife and violence".
According to the contemporary Afghan historian Fayz Muhammad, the immediate cause of the revolt laid in a dispute, where a man from the Mangal tribe claimed he was betrothed to a woman, declaring that he had been engaged with her since childhood. Some of this man's enemies went to the governor of the southern province, Amr al-Din, and the qazi-magistrate, Abdullah, commonly known as Mullah-i-Lang or Pir-i-Lang (the lame Mullah), and disputed this claim. With consent of the fiancée, Amr-al Din rejected this claim, however, Mulla Abd Allah had been bribed to see that the fiancée had been betrothed, and complained that this rejection violated the Sharia, but this complaint was ignored, which led Mulla to make up his mind to instigate a rebellion.
Uprising
Uprising begins (March–April 1924) In mid-March 1924, the city of Khost, where protests had been ongoing since autumn 1923, erupted in an open rebellion against the government, led by Mulla Abd Allah. With appeals to Pashtun honour, incitements, and promises of paradise for true-believing Muslims, Mulla succeeded at raising all the tribes of the Southern Province against the Afghan government. Initially, the government did not take the uprising seriously, but by the end of March 1924 they had come to understand the seriousness of the situation.
On March 28, the Minister was informed by S. Muhammad Wali that the rebellion had "subsided", but the statement was clearly incorrect; and the movement gradually grew in strength until, by August, the capital itself was threatened.
By mid-April, the entire Southern Province had begun participating in the rebellion, and it then became vital for the Afghan Government, in order to localise the outbreak, and especially to prevent it spreading southwards to Ghazni, to ensure the loyalty of the Ghilzai tribes. For this purpose, Ghaus-ud-Din, son of Jehandad Khan, the famous Ghilzai Chief who rebelled in 1912, was summoned to Kabul, and, although a Government which executed his father must have had some qualms as to his loyalty, he was induced to detach the Ahmedzai Ghilzais by remiding them of the Mangals’ previous treachery towards them. In these discussions he was supported by two influential officials — Mahomet Ibrahim and Mahomet Usman Khan — who had been sent from Kabul for this purpose.
That same month, forces loyal to King Amanullah managed to defeat the Rebels, but could not rout them. The Rebels were then joined by the Alikhel and Sulaimankhel tribes. On 22 April, the rebels successfully ambushed a government regiment at Altimur Pass, which is the natural entrance to Khost from the direction of Kabul, inflicting severe casualties while suffering 20 deaths. By this time the garrisons of the Afghan outposts in Khost had either surrendered or been driven into the central forts of Gardez and Matun, which were then loosely invested. The garrison of the Afghan post of Gurgurai took refuge at Lakka Tiga on the British side of the line, and later were permitted to recross with their arms into Afghan territory.
The war under Mahomet Wali Khan; siege of Matun lifted (April–May 1924) On 23 April, Sardar Mahomet Wali Khan left Kabul to take over command in the field.
On 27 April, a battle near Gardez saw the rebels suffer 60 casualties against 7 government deaths and 27 government wounded. By this success, Sardar Mahomet Wali, meeting with only nominal resistance, was enabled on 1 May to force the Altimur Pass, and to reopen communications between Kabul and Gardez.
These successes appear to have disheartened the rebels, who on the approach of the Eid al-Fitr (6 May), dispersed to their homes.
As resistance increased, the Afghan government sent a delegation to the rebels, arguing that Amanullah's reforms had not been in conflict with the Sharia, but these negotiations proved fruitless. Further fighting took place in May, when the government claimed to kill 117 rebels and wound another 365 more, for the cost of only 17 government deaths and 27 wounded, although these figures were regarded as unreliable by foreign observers.
On 30 April, two sons of ex-Amir Yaqub Khan, Sardars Abdur Rahman Khan and Abdullah Khan, were arrested in Parachinar. They were dressed as Ghilzai traders and were attempting to cross into Afghanistan, evidently in order to put themselves at the head of the insurrection. About this time, a deputation of Mangal Maliks waited on the Political Agent Kurram and asked for assistance or asylum from the Government of India. Their requests were refused.
Mahomet Ibrahim and Mahomet Usman had by now been recalled to Kabul where they were regarded as having been superseded by Sardar Mahomet Wali.
It was prematurely announced in India that the end of insurrection was in sight, whereas in reality the Eid al-Fitr dispersal marked the close of only its first phase. The second opened some ten days later with a concentration against Matun.
On 22 May, the Matun fort was attacked and indecisive fighting continued for the next few days. On the 29th, the siege was raised, the withdrawal of the rebels being ascribed to bribery from Kabul. This may have been the case, but there is at least a possibility that their change of plan was dictated by a realisation that the true objective was Mahomet Wali’s army, upon the decisive defeat of which the fall of Matun would sooner or later follow automatically. Meanwhile, hostilities had broken out at Mirzakka, to the north-east of Gardez, and an advance by the Government forces, intended apparently to re-open communications with Ali Khel, was repulsed with some loss on 22nd.
The Loya Jirga (June 1924) The period of military inactivity which followed was spent in negotiations between Mullah Abdullah, the principal rebel leader, on the one side, and Sardar Mahomet Wali and the official Mullahs on the other. A report that the Amir had offered to suspend the operation of certain articles of the Fundamental Code gave ground for hope that a settlement was in prospect.
King Amanullah summoned an assembly of around 1000 tribal and religious leaders, a loya jirga, which he hoped would help legitimize his policies and therefore counter Mulla's religious claims. To his surprise, the majority of Ulama attending the assembly demanded the nullification of the reforms, which led Amanullah reluctantly withdraw some of his policies and begin negotiations in early June. On 20 June, peace talks broke down, and fighting resumed on the 24th.
Rise of Abd-al Karim (July–August 1924) During the first half of July little definite news was received regarding operations in the field. According to persistent rumour, however, disaffection was spreading gradually among the Ghilzais, of whom the Suleman Khel, the Sultan Khel, the Isa Khel and Ahmedzai were reported to have become more or less involved in the rebellion. The outbreak of fighting in the Kattawaz area, and the despatch of reinforcements in the direction of Ghazni, advertised the failure of the Government to localise the outbreak in the Southern Province, On the approach of the Eid al-Adha (July 13), there was apparently a slight lull on which, however, the Afghan War Ministry built no hopes. Their apprehensions were immediately justified, by the collision, which occurred on the day of the Eid itself, between the Sultan Khel Ghilzais and one of the "Model" (Qita Namuna) battalions.
The details of this operation have not been ascertained, but, whether through treachery or otherwise, the battalion engaged lost some 250 men and was withdrawn to Kabul.
Habibullāh Kalakāni, future king of Afghanistan, also fought in the conflict. At the time, he served with the Model battalion and served with distinction. Nevertheless, he deserted the unit at some unspecified time, and after working in Peshawar moved to Parachinar (on the Afghan border) where he was arrested and sentenced to eleven months imprisonment.
A second battalion of the same brigade, which apparently refused to serve beyond the three months for which it had originally been ordered on service, was recalled at the same time. Their success in putting out of action two of the best regiments of the Afghan regular army appears to have raised the morale of the rebels, as much as it lowered that of the city population. The Amir, however, still clung to his plan of conciliating the insurgents by an ostentatious acceptance of the resolutions of the Great Assembly, which was to meet on July 16.
At this juncture, Abd-al Karim, the son of an ex-king of Afghanistan who was forced into exile in 1879, crossed from British India into Afghanistan to assume leadership of the rebellion and contest the throne of Afghanistan. Senzil Nawid (1996) writes that Abd-al Karim became the leader of the revolt, while Mulla Abd Allawas reduced to an advisory role. However, according Richard Roy Maconachie (1928), Abd-al Karim was only a figurehead used by the Mullahs who really led the rebellion.
A battle on 13 July saw the Royal army lose 250 troops. A small government force was wiped out at Bedak on 2 August, and a larger force was destroyed soon after.
At the end of July, a mixed body of Mangals, Zadrans and Ahmedzais cut the communications between Gardez and Kabul, and advanced into the southern end of the Logar valley. Abdul Hamid, Chief of the Staff was sent from Kabul to open the Altimur Pass. He apparently pushed forward in advance of his main body with some guns and a small escort, marched his men to a standstill at Bedak and put out piquets for the night. These at once went to sleep, and the whole party was annihilated before dawn the next day (2 August ), by the rebel force; Abdul Hamid himself being killed, and the guns lost. The Altimur pass was recaptured by rebels that same day.