Khost is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan located in the southeastern part of the country. Khost consists of thirteen districts and the city of Khost serves as the capital of the province. Historically, Khost used to be a part of Paktia and a larger region surrounding Khost is still referred to as Loya Paktia.
Paktia is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,000, which is mostly a tribal society living in rural areas. Pashtuns make up the majority of the population and a small percentage include Tajiks. Gardez is the provincial capital. The traditional food in Paktia is known as (dandakai) which is made from rice and mung bean or green gram.
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. The war was part of the Great Game between the British and Russian empires.
General George Nicolas Channer was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Major John Cook VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. An officer of the Bengal Staff Corps who transferred to the 5th Gurkha Rifles, Cook was a veteran of the Umbeyla Campaign who received the VC posthumously for his actions during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
The North-West Frontier was a region of the British Indian Empire. It remains the western frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the modern Pakistani frontier regions of North-West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan from neighbouring Afghanistan in the west. The borderline between is officially known as the Durand Line and divides Pashtun inhabitants of these provinces from Pashtuns in eastern Afghanistan.
Parachinar is a city and the capital of the Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
The Spīn Ghar or Safēd Kōh meaning both White Mountains, or sometimes meaning white mountain range, is a mountain range to the south of the Hindu Kush. It ranges from eastern Afghanistan into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and forms a natural border between the two areas. Its highest peak is Mount Sikaram on the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, which towers above all surrounding hills to 4,755 m (15,600 ft) above mean sea level. The lower hills are mostly barren and treeless, but pine grows on the main mountains that form the East Afghan montane conifer forests.
The Turi or Torai are a Pashtun tribe residing primarily in the Kurram Valley, of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with a smaller population across the Durand line in Afghanistan's Paktia province. They speak Pashto and follow the Twelver Shia sect of Islam. Unlike most Pashtun tribes, who are predominantly Sunni, the Turi's adherence to Shia Islam has historically contributed to tensions with neighbouring Sunni Pashtun tribes, such as the Mangal and Bangash, who also inhabit the Kurram Valley. These tensions are further complicated by land disputes and historical factors.
The Battle of Peiwar Kotal was fought on 2 December 1878 between British forces under Major General Frederick Roberts and Afghan forces under Karim Khan, during the opening stages of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The British were victorious, and seized the strategic Peiwar Kotal Pass leading into the interior of Afghanistan.
Mount Sikaram is a mountain on the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, south of the Kabul River and Khyber Pass. At 4,755 m (15,600 ft), it is the highest peak of the Spīn Ghar, or Safēd Kōh, mountain range.
Kurram District is a district in the Kohat Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The name Kurram comes from the river Kwarma in Pashto, which itself derives from the Sanskrit word Krumu.
The Mangal are a tribe of the Pashtun people residing in eastern Paktia and adjacent Khost provinces of Afghanistan, and in the town of Tari Mangal, district Kurram, Pirdil Khel, Fatima Khel and Surrani of Bannu Pakistan. Their land constitutes the northeastern part of the Loya Paktia region. The Mangals descend from Karlani Pashtun lineage.
The Afghanistan Medal, sanctioned on 19 March 1881, was awarded to members of the British and Indian armies who served in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880 during the Second Afghan War, the first war being from 1839 to 1842.
The 23rd Sikh Pioneers were a regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1857, when they were known as the 15th (Pioneer) Regiment of Punjab Infantry. The regiment was mainly recruited from the Ramdasia Chamar Sikhs of Punjab Province, later due to not get Mazhbis during 1857 Campaign Siege of Delhi, British officers mixed the class composition of the regiment with Ramdasia Sikhs who are also untouchable caste with having same status like Mazhbi Sikhs, according to the author of History of Sikh Pioneers, Sir George Macmunn. Due to majority of Mazhbis in Class Composition of the Sikh Pioneer Regiment they are famously known as Muzbee Pioneers and Despite being Pioneers by name, the regiment was specially trained as Assault Pioneers.
Dand Aw Patan District is located in the northeastern section of Paktia Province in Afghanistan. It has a population of around 30,551 local residents. The district is within the heartland of the Zazi tribe of Pashtuns.
The Kabul Field Force was a field force created in September 1879 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, under the command of General Frederick Roberts. It combined British Army and British Indian Army regiments, and initially numbered around 7,500 men, but later reached about 14,000.
Pewar is a village located 16 km from Parachinar, the capital city of Kurram District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Situated on a narrow stretch of Pakistani territory south of Peshawar, Pewar borders Paktia Province in Afghanistan. It is the closest point in Pakistan to Kabul and lies near the Tora Bora region. The major tribes in Pewar and Parachinar include Turi, Bangash, Orakzai, Zazai, Mangal and Para Tsamkani. Pewar is renowned for its fresh fruits, vegetables, and scenic snowfall.
The Kurram Valley Field Force was a British military formation during the first phase of the Second Afghan War, 1878–79.
Sir John James Hood Gordon was a general in the British Army.
