AGAINST THE AFRIDIS. February, 1850.
Reading edition
The Afridis are a fierce and warlike tribe inhabiting a series of steep and rugged hills lying between the Kohat and Peshawur districts. They are good shots, and if combined, could muster 15,000 to 20,000 fighting men. The Punjab Government paid them an annual subsidy of 5,700 rupees in return for their protecting the pass from Peshawur to Kohat. But in spite of this arrangement, on February 2nd, 1850, a body of Afridis attacked a body of Sappers making a road in the Kohat pass, killed twelve of them, and put the rest to flight. To punish them for their treachery, a column, under the command of Sir Colin Campbell (afterwards Lord Clyde), who was accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Charles Napier, forced the pass, in spite of the efforts of the Afridis, routed them, and burnt their villages. As usual in hill campaigns the heaviest of the fighting 357fell on the rear of the retiring force in its march to Peshawur.[142] The regiments that took part in this expedition were the 60th. Rifles, 61st., and 98th. Foot, besides Native troops. In the latter part of the year 1851, the Mohmunds, a tribe inhabiting the Khyber Pass, committed a series of depredations on villages under British rule, and made an attack on a fort at Shubkuddur. To chastise them, on October 25th, Sir Colin Campbell left Peshawur with a force of about 2000 men, including two companies each of the 61st. and 98th. Foot, and destroyed several of their villages with their stores of grain. After some skirmishes Sir Colin, leaving garrisons at Shubkuddur and Dubb, returned to Peshawur in February, 1852. In the same month the Mohmunds made another inroad, and in March Sir Colin again took the field against them, with a column of 2500 men, consisting of a troop of Horse Artillery, the 32nd. Foot, and several Native regiments. On March 20th. the Mohmunds attacked him in force at Pung Rao, but after a hot action of three hours were repulsed with considerable loss. Another skirmish took place in April, near Shubkuddur, and on the retreat of the Mohmunds, Sir Colin, with the Europeans, returned to Peshawur. But the disturbances on the North West frontier were far from being over. The Ootman Khail,[143] or tribe, of Afridis, began to make incursions into British territory, and on the 7th. of May, Sir Colin, with the 32nd. Foot, a wing of the 53rd. regiment, the Guide Corps, and some regiments of Punjaubees and Goorkhas, marched against them, and after a few skirmishes captured and destroyed, with small loss, the strongly fortified hill village of Praunghur.
On May 17th Sir Colin attacked about 8000 of the enemy at a village called Istakote, at the entrance of the Ranize Valley, and a smart action followed, in which Sir Colin himself headed the cavalry of the Guides in a charge, with the result that the hill men were driven back in confusion. They suffered severely, but were not subdued, though checked for a time.
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