Escalated a few years after the establishment of the emirate, the Russian and British interests were in conflict between Muhammad Shah of Iran and Dost Mohammad Khan, which led to the First Anglo-Afghan War, fought between 1838 and 1842.[6] During the war, Britain occupied the capital, Kabul, of the then called Emirate of Kabul, in an effort to prevent Afghanistan from coming under Russian control and curb Russian expansion in the region, while also keeping Afghanistan in the British fold under a puppet leader, Shah Shujah Durrani. The war ended with Dost Mohammad returning to the throne, with the British withdrawing; unable to subjugate the country, they forged greater ties instead, allowing Dost Mohammad to move toward uniting the dis-united state of Afghanistan, which split from the Durrani Civil wars brought on by the sons of Timur Shah.[7]
Upon the death of Dost Mohammad in 1863, he was succeeded by his son, Sher Ali Khan. However, three years later, his older brother Mohammad Afzal Khanoverthrew him. Upon the death of Mohammad Afzal Khan in 1867 due to cholera, his brother, Mohammad Azam Khan took the throne. However, with people's support for Sher Ali Khan, in 1868, Mohammad Azam Khan was overthrown and replaced as Emir by Sher Ali, who returned to the throne after spending few short years in exile in Russia. His return as Emir led to new conflicts with Britain. Subsequently, the British marched on 21 November 1878 into Afghanistan and Emir Sher Ali was forced to flee again to Russia, but he died in 1879 in Mazar-i-Sharif.[8] His successor, Mohammad Yaqub Khan, sought solutions for peace with Russia and gave them a greater say in Afghanistan's foreign policy. Meanwhile, he signed the Treaty of Gandamak with the British on 26 May 1879, relinquishing solely the control of Afghanistan foreign affairs to the British Empire. However, when the British envoy Sir Louis Cavagnari was killed in Kabul on 3 September 1879, the British offered to accept Abdur Rahman Khan as Emir. The British concluded a peace treaty with the Afghans in 1880, and withdrew again in 1881 from Afghanistan. The British, in 1893, forced Afghanistan to consent to a new border, termed the Durand Line, which cuts right through the historic Pashtun settlement region.[9]
After the war, Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, who struck down the country reformed and repressed numerous uprisings. After his death in 1901 his son Habibullah Khan succeeded as emir and continued reforms. Habibullah Khan sought reconciliation with the UK, where he graduated in 1905 with a peace treaty with Russia, stretching for defeat in the Russo-Japanese War had to withdraw from Afghanistan. In the First World War, Afghanistan remained neutral, despite German and Ottoman efforts (Niedermayer–Hentig Expedition). In 1919 Habibullah Khan was assassinated by political opponents.[10]
The flags used by the Emirate of Afghanistan underwent numerous changes as Afghan emirs introduced a series of distinct banners ranging from monochrome standards to complex designs incorporating Islamic motifs, royal emblems, and modern state insignia due to administrative reforms. The first use of a coat of arms on a flag was during the reign of Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, which was a solid black banner featuring a white emblem in the center, to which the succeeding Afghan emblems trace their origins to.[17][18]
The earliest records of the flag of the Emirate of Afghanistan traces to the reigns of Dost Mohammad Khan:[19]
"In the reign of Amir Dōst Moḥammad and Šēr ʿAlī Khan there existed triangular, red and green military flags bearing the words of the Islamic confession of faith (šahāda) as well as the names of the four caliphs and verses from the Koran relating to jehād "holy war," all in white color."
After Mohammad Haidar Khan was captured in the Battle of Ghazni on 23 July 1839, a banner was seized by John Smith, which showed a triangular dark-red flag with a centered green circle featuring the names of the four Islamic caliphs.
↑Despite agreeing to the terms of the Treaty of Gandamak, Abdur Rahman Khan held Afghanistan as a de-facto independent state by holding external affairs with other nations such as Persia and Russia, and often opposing the British.
↑Baxter, Craig (2001). "The First Anglo–Afghan War". In Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (ed.). Afghanistan: A Country Study. Baton Rouge, LA: Claitor's Pub. Division. ISBN1-57980-744-5. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
↑Islam and Politics in Afghanistan, Olesen, page 101
↑Dijk, Ruud van; Gray, William Glenn; Savranskaya, Svetlana; Suri, Jeremi; Zhai, Qiang (13 May 2013). Encyclopedia of the Cold War. Routledge. ISBN9781135923105. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
↑"Afghanistan". World Statesmen. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
↑Wahab, Shaista (2010). A Brief History of Afghanistan. New York: Facts on File. p.139. In the late 19th century, Emir Abdur Rahman flew a black flag (a traditional Muslim military banner) with the royal arms in the center in white, a mosque surmounting crossed arms and surrounded by the Durrani symbol of wheat sheaves. This flag continued in use under Abdur Rahman's successors until 1919, but only over the palace and at military bases and customs offices.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
↑Adamec, Ludwig W. (1997). Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p.147. Abdul Rahman preferred a black banner (Abu Muslim's Abbasid standard) on which was drawn in white a mihrab (prayer niche), minbar (pulpit), sword, and gun. Amir Habibullah's "national flag" (bayraq-i daulati) was similar, except that it omitted the sword and gun.
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