Operations in Waziristan 1919-1920.
Confidential. Serial No. 855.
Calcutta, Superintendent Government Printing, India, 1921
In 1919 the short-lived Third Anglo-Afghan War concluded with the British ceding legal control of Afghan foreign affairs in return for the recognition by the Afghans of the Durand Line. Despite this, a rumour spread amongst the Waziri and Mahsud tribesmen that the British intended to cede their territory to the British. They quickly conducted a series of raids against neighbouring settlements in the North West Frontier in late 1919, causing over 400 casualties.
Major-General Sir Andrew Skeen led the British response against the Tochi Waziris and Mahsuds in November of 1919. The campaign a took over 12 months due to the inexperience of the British units mainly comprised of light Indian divisions. The decisive eight-day battle of Ahnai Tangi, involving the stand of the 2nd/5th Gurkhas immortalised in several paintings, broke the Mahsud offensive and quickly resulted in a calming of violence and allowed the British to deliver their terms of control.
Despite the apparent British victory the 1919-1920 campaign led to a change of policy in Waziristan. Britain decided to station permanent garrisons and have a much closer relationship with the irregular military units used. A large number of the locally raised troops had defected to the Waziris and Mahsuds during the campaign and it was hoped these measures would prevent further desertion. Britain also attempted a road construction effort in the region, but this was seen as invasive and caused further conflict up to 1924.
The two large colour folding maps are sized:
75 x 92 cm - scale 1 inch to 1 mile
77 x 64 cm - scale 1 inch to 4 miles
First edition; 8vo (25 x 16.5 cm); complete with 32 photogravure plates including frontispiece, 16 of which folding, 4 of which large panoramic views, 8 heliozincographed folding panoramas sketched on the spot, 7 folding heliozincographed maps, 3 of which loose in rear pocket, 2 of which large coloured, Ministry of Defence Library stamp to title, small nick to margin of one of the large coloured maps, paperclip mark to title otherwise clean and unread internally; typical contemporary half calf, green cloth boards, gilt morocco lettering pieces to spine, discreet manuscript serial number to spine and upper board corner, extremities lightly rubbed from use, binding tight due to quantity of maps and plates, a very good copy; x, 187, [1]pp.
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