The new emir, Abdur Rahman, was accepted by his people and proved to be an adept ruler. Although he had handed over control of the Kurram Valley, the Khyber Pass and areas around Quetta, he retained sovereignty over Afghanistan’s foreign policy. Britain also dropped any ideas of a permanent embassy and withdrew its forces from Kandahar and Kabul. The new emir in turn upheld his promise to reject any Russian diplomatic missions.

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Of all the tragic wars fought in Afghanistan over the last two centuries, the Second Afghan War remains one of the most controversial. Flexing its imperial muscle, Disraeli’s government had pursued a foreign policy that resulted in the deaths of friends and foe alike–for the sum total of a few territorial acquisitions, with a diplomatic deal that was virtually the same as the one it originally had with Sher Ali. One could argue, however, that a more secure peace had been established, along with the vital border passes into India, against the threat of Russian invasion.

As for Roberts and his men, their march to Kandahar against the odds presented by both man and Mother Nature placed them in the pantheon of imperial heroes. After serving with distinction in India and the Boer War, 82-year-old Lord Roberts came out of semiretirement in the autumn of 1914 to visit the sons of his Indian troops on the Western Front in France. He fell ill and died soon after in the way he undoubtedly wished–in support of his troops.

This article was written by Simon Rees and originally published in the December 2004 issue of Military History magazine.

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