Battle Of Unai Pass

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Battle Of Unai Pass
Part of the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929)
DateJune 28, 1929 – July 10, 1929
Location
Result Hazara victory
Belligerents
Flag of Hazaristan.svg Hazaras Flag of Afghanistan (1929).svg Saqqawists
Commanders and leaders

Fateh Mohammad Khan [1]

Mishr Nabi Khan [2]
Hamidullah
Strength
2,000

5,000+ [1]

  • Soldier bandits [1]
  • Officer extortioners [1]
  • Artillery [1]
  • Machine guns [1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown
  • Heavy losses [1]
  • A lot of POW's [1]
  • Capture of ammunitions by the Hazaras [1]

(July 8)

  • 500 Killed and wounded
(July 10) [1]

The Battle Of Unai Pass took place at Unai Pass in 1929, during the Afghan Civil War when the Saqqawist army was trying to cross the Unai Pass to subjugate the Hazaras of Jang Kala. [3] [4] The battle was from June 28 to July 10, and several raids and offensives after that until the fall of the Saqqawists. [1] The Hazara volunteers from Jang Kala under the leadership of Fateh Mohammad Khan defended their positions and launched a few attacks on the Saqqawists in Jalrez and the surrounding areas. [5] [1] The hordes of the Saqqawist army were successfully repelled by the Hazaras and the Saqqawist army retreated after many of them got killed or got captured. [1] [4] This was one of the battles recorded between the Hazaras and the Saqqawists when trying to enter Hazarajat [3]

The battle

The battle lasted 11 days, from June 28, 1929, until July 8, 1929 [1] The Hazaras were winning and in the later days especially on the last day (July 8) the Hazaras inflicted heavy losses on the Saqqawists and captured a lot of Saqqawist soldiers as well as capturing a large stock of weapons and ammunition. [1] [6] The Saqqawist army was ready to fight with 5000 men, but the Hazara soldiers Shouting "Ya Ali" killed and captured many of them and drove them back to Jalrez, capturing Qala-e-Majid (Majid fort) and several villages in Jalrez, then looting the fort and villages as well as setting them on fire, as revenge to what happened in Sare-Chashmah. [1] Many of the Saqqawist soldiers unable to stand the onslaught attack of the Hazaras, dropped their weapons and surrendered themselves. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Mohammad, Fayz (1999). Kabul Under Siege : Fayz Muhammad's account of the 1929 Uprising (Translated ed.). Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener Publishers. pp. 168, 216–220. ISBN   1558761543.
  2. اینترنشنال, هزاره (2011-03-27). "شصتمین سالیاد شهادت فرقه مشرغلام نبی خان چپه شاخ یکی ازاعضای نهضت مشروطیت ومبارزملی ضداستبداد گرامی باد!". هزاره اینترنشنال (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  3. 1 2 Poladi, Hassan (1989). The Hazaras (1st ed.). Stockton, California: Mughal Publishing Co. p. 175.
  4. 1 2 Fox Ernest F. (1943). Travels In Afghanistan 1937-*1938. p. 275.
  5. "فتح محمد فرقه مشر کی بود؟ – Maria Daro" (in Persian). 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  6. "مرحوم فرقه مشر فتح محمد خان میرزاد یکی از منادیان آزادی و عدالت". Kabul Press کابل پرس (in Persian). 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-06-30.