Treaty of Gandomak
The Treaty of Gandomak was signed in May of 1879 between Afghanistan and Britain. The Afghan leader, Yaqub, came to power with the death of his father, Sher Ali, in February of 1879 and soon faced a crisis: Britain, enraged by Afghanistan's refusal to allow a British mission in Kabul after witnessing an unwanted Russian mission in Kabul, had sent troops into Afghanistan at the end of 1878. Before his death, Sher Ali had tried to enlist the assistance of Russia to counteract these troops but to no avail. Because the British had already occupied a large portion of the nation, Yaqub agreed to the terms of the Treaty of Gandomak in order to stop Britain from invading the rest of Afghanistan.
For all practical purposes, the Treaty of Gandomak turned Afghanistan into a British protectorate. It provided Afghanistan with British financial support and military support if Afghanistan faced foreign aggressors. In exchange, Afghanistan relinquished control of its foreign affairs to London and allowed the establishment of British missions in the capital and other major regions of the country. Moreover, London was given control over the strategic Khyber and Michni passes as well as several Afghan frontier areas. The Treaty of Gandomak, which clearly favored London, was signed by Yaqub only because of British military superiority. Following a failed Afghan military campaign against the British in October of 1879, Yaqub was forced to resign for fear of his life after having signed a treaty so disadvantageous to Afghanistan.
Further Reading
Adamec, Ludwig W. (1996) Dictionary of Afghan Wars, Revolution, and Insurgencies. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Nyrop, Richard F. (1986) Afghanistan: A Country Study. Washington, DC: American University.
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