The Mohmand Expedition of 1908 was a British punitive expedition against Mohmand rebels in the British Raj.
Description of the Mohmands
Mohmand tribes In 1908, the Mohmands were primarily divided into two main branches: the Independent Mohmands, who lived across the Administrative border, and those dwelling in and around Matanni and in the south-western corner of the Peshawar district. Mohmands of the Peshawar district had, however, long lost touch with those of the hills, and were in no way connected with the outbreak in the spring of 1908.
The trans-border Mohmands may be considered as having been subdivided into the following eight clans: Baezai, Khwaizai, Tarakzai, Halimzai, Utmanzai, Dawezai, Isa Khel and Burhan Khel. Of these, the last six, known as the assured clans—together with the Musa Khel section of the Baezai—were in receipt of allowances from the British Government, granted in lieu of those which, prior to the Durand agreement, certain of them had received from the Amirs of Kabul.
The Baezai and Khwaizai clans received no British allowances, and consider themselves subject to Afghan authority alone. They resided largely on the Afghan side of the Durand Line, which had, however, never yet been demarcated in Mohmand territory and was still a subject of dispute.
Mohmand fighting strength The total fighting strength of the Mohmands was estimated in 1907 at 21,500 men with about 1,850 breech-loading rifles. Of the above, about 11,000 men and 750 rifles belonged to the Afghan clans.
Since then many more breech-loaders were known to have passed into the country—a result of the successful smuggling of firearms from Masqat in the Persian Gulf into Baluchistan—and thence to Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier. Naturally, however, this estimate gives us no true idea of what strength the Mohmands could actually put in the field. This can best be calculated from the numbers opposed to the British in the actions at Matta and Shabkadar on 24 April 1908, which were approximately as follows: +TribeMenMusa Khel Baezai1,000Koda Khel Baezai120Other Baezai5,000Khawizai300Kamali Halimzai500Dawezai400Utmanzai300Total8,620In addition to these the Mohmand Lashkar was swelled by:Utman Khel of Ambahar1,000Ningraharis3,000Kandahari Safis2,000Men from Kunar3,000Total9,000
Mohmand country Mohmand country proper—i.e., omitting the affiliated clans of Shilmanis and Mullagoris, who lived on the right bank of the Kabul river, and whose interests were entirely distinct from those of other Mohmands—was bounded, roughly, on the north by the Ambahar valley and Utman Khel country, on the east by the Swat river and Utman Khel country, on the south-east by the administrative border of the Peshawar district, and on the south by the Kabul river; to the west it extends up to about the longitude of the Kunar River in Afghanistan, and there were also some large Mohmand villages south of the Kabul river in Ningrahar.
The country (on the British side of the Durand line) thus enclosed was, with a few exceptions, exceedingly wild, rugged and desolate. The hills almost throughout were practically waterless, except, of course, during the autumn and winter rains, and the inhabitants depend largely for their water-supply on artificial tanks, which caught and store rainwater and surface drainage. That the soil was fertile, however, and only needs a sufficient rainfall to produce excellent crops, was evident from the fact that the expeditionary forced of 1908 found large areas covered with standing wheat and barley.
The principal valley in the country was the Bohai Dag, known in its lowered portion as the Danish kol. This valley ran roughly east and west right across the Mohmand country, from the Silala Sar to the Swat River, which it joined about 13 miles above Abazai, and had a total length of 40 miles and an elevation varying from 3,000 to 1,500 feet. The upper part of the valley was broad and opened, but for the last 10 miles of its course the hills closed in, and the valley becomes a narrowed rocky gorge.
No water was found by the British in the bed of the Nala much above Mulla Kalai, about 6 miles from its junction with the swat, either in the expedition of 1897 or in 1908. In its upper portion, the Bohai Dag was inhabited by the Baezai and Khwaizai clans, lowered down by the Halimzai and Isa Khel.
About 7 miles above its junction with the Swat river, the Bohai Dag, or Danish Kol as it was here called, was joined by the Yalch Dand Nala. This valley rose to the north of the Bedmanai passed under the name of the Mitai Nala, and flowed south and then east to join the Danish Kol. No water was found flowing above this junction either in the expedition of 1897 or that of 1908. At its head, it was inhabited by the Musa Khel section of the Baezai, and near its junction with the Danish Kol by the Halimzai and Utmanzai, while between the two, in a very opened portion of the valley, dwell the vassal clan of Safis.
Bordering the territories of the Kandahari Safis on the northeast and the Utmanzai on the north, lied the Sarlara hills. At the foot of the northern slopes of this range flowed the Pipal Nala—almost due west to east. In the upper portion of this valley lived the Gurbaz Safis, and lowered down the Dawezai.
Running water appeared in the large watercourse of the Pipal a short distance above its junction with the Ambahar stream, Where it flowed roughly north to south.
The valley of the Ambahar bounds Mohmand country on the east to its junction with the Danish Kol, shortly before that stream itself joined the Swat river. It was extremely fertile, running water was plentiful below the junction of the Pipal Nala, and large tracts were under irrigation. The inhabitants were Utman Khel who received their punishment with the Mohmands for the part they took in the disturbances necessitating the despatch of the expedition of 1908.
Midway between the Swat and Kabul rivers, and roughly parallel to both, ran the Gandao valley, in which lied the principal settlements of the halimzai. Its length from its head to the pointed where it enters British territory northwest of Shabkadar was about 16 miles, but the inhabited portion of the valley was confined to a stretched of about 5 miles above the Karappa passed with an average elevation of 2,500 feet. Here both banks were thickly studded with villages, which obtain excellent crops by irrigation. Water has not appeared on the surface of the nala -bed above durba khel, near the centre of this inhabited stretched, but above this pointed there were numerous Persian wells by which water was raised for irrigation purposes from a depth of 30 or 40 feet.
Between the Gandao and the Swat river lied the Pandiali valley, a small tributary of the swat. It was mainly of importance as affording a route to the Danish Kol, For the valley was narrowed and rugged and inhabited by two unimportant clans—the Isa Khel and Burhan Khel. It contained, however, a good stream of running water.
Dealings with Mohmands subsequent to the expedition of 1897 For some years after the severe punishment meted out to them in 1897, the Mohmands remained quiet and British dealings with the tribe till the year 1902 were of no importance.
In that year, another section was added to those already in receipt of allowances. By the terms of the Durand Agreement of 1893 the control of the Mitai valley had been allotted to the Indian Government. Prior to this treaty the Musa Khel Baezai, who inhabit the valley, had been in receipt of an allowance from the Amir. This had naturally been withheld since the transfer of territory had taken place, and the Musa Khel maliks now petitioned the Indian Government for a grant in lieu of that which they had formerly received from Kabul. The justice of their claim was evident and the Indian Government accordingly decided to accede to their request. At the same time, Musa Khel Baezai of the Mitai the Nawab of Nawagai was induced to relinquish his claim of suzerainty over the valley, which had previously formed part of the old Nawagai Khanate.
This event was quickly seized upon by the mullas, most prominent of whom At the time were the Sufi Sahib of Batikot and the Maulvi Sahib of Kama, as an opportunity to play on the fanatical feelings of the Mohmands.
All who were in receipt of allowances from, or had any dealings with the British were denounced as Kafirs and the preaching of these men had such effect on the Mitai Musa Khel, that they did not come in to Peshawar to claim the allowances so recently granted.
Their example was followed by the Dawezai, Utmanzai, and Pandiali Mohmands, and of all the "assured clans" the Halimzai and Tarakzai alone dared to come regularly to Peshawar to receive their allowances.
About this time also further ill-feeling was occasioned by the preparations for the construction of a railway through Shilman. The Baezai and Khwaizai especially began to show their hostility to the scheme, and threatened the villages of Smatzai and Shinpokh on the right bank of the river, because they remained friendly to the British and were willing to assist in the work.
In April 1903, a party of Afghan Mohmands, many of whom were khasadars, actually crossed the river, filled up some wells in the villages and succeeded in impeding irrigation, thereby doing much damage to the crops. The majority of the raiders appeared to have been Morcha Khel Baezai.
The Indian Government at once represented to the Amir the necessity for the demarcation of the frontier in this region, in order put an end to outrages of this kind. A Boundary Commission was asked for and to this the Amir gave his consent. Accordingly, a British commissioner was nominated, Major Roos-Keppel, C.I.E., Political Agent in the Khaibar, being the officer selected, and on 19 December 1903, the Amir was informed of the appointment and was further told that Major Roos-Keppel would be ready to meet the Afghan commissioner at the Nawa Kotal on 1 February.
Meanwhile, the Amir expressed a wish for the delimitation of the entire stretch of frontier from the Nawa Kotal to Paiwar Kotal. He also showed that he intended to put forward again his father's claim to the whole of the Bohai Dag, without making any corresponding concessions in the Kabul river region.
It soon became evident, however, from his continued failure to appoint a commissioner, and from the way in which he persistently delayed matters by verbal quibbles, that what he really desired was the indefinite postponement of any demarcation whatever.
Accordingly, as by 1 April 1904, he had nominated no Afghan official to meet Major Roos-Keppel, who had now been waiting for two whole months with all necessary transport in readiness, he was informed that owing to the lateness of the season the matter would have to be deferred till the following autumn.
Till May 1905 nothing further happened, but in that month, a second outrage was committed at Smatzai.
The Sarhang of Dakka, Muhammad Husain Khan, demanded the return of some wood which had floated down to Smatzai from the boat-bridge at Lalpura, recently broken in a flood. The villagers refused, saying that without an order from the Political Agent in the Khaibar they would not give up what they considered theirs by ancient custom. Thereupon the Sarhang, incensed at the obstinacy of the villagers, decided to seize the wood by a display of force sufficient in his estimation to overawe the villagers, though without apparently desiring that any armed collision should occur. With this object in view, he despatched 120 khasadars from Kam Dakka to Smatzai, followed by 180 more from Lalpura.