The Afridi Redshirt Rebellion was a military campaign conducted by British and Indian armies against Afridi tribesmen 'AJAB KHAN AFRIDI in the North West Frontier region of the

Indian Empire The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, now in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1930–1931. The

Afridi The Afrīdī ( ps, اپريدی ''Aprīdai'', plur. ''Aprīdī''; ur, آفریدی) are a Pashtun tribe present in Pakistan, with substantial numbers in Afghanistan. The Afridis are most dominant in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal ...

are a

Karlani Karlāṇī ( ps, کرلاڼي) is a Pashtun tribal confederacy. They primarily inhabit the FATA region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and certain parts of eastern Afghanistan. In the 16th century the Karlani founded the Karrani dyn ...

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

tribe who inhabit the border area of

, notably in the

Spin Ghar Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

mountain range to the west of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

and the Maidan Valley in

Tirah The Tirah also spelled Terah ( ps, تیراہ) also called the Tirah Valley (), is a mountainous tract located in the Khyber district, lying between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley in Pakistan. Society Lying close to the Pak-Afghan bord ...

.T H Holdich
"Tirah"
''Khyber.ORG.'' Publishing Date: December 18, 2009. The Afridis often clashed with the British and Indian Armies during India’s expansion towards the Afghan border, notably during the

Anglo-Afghan Wars Anglo-Afghan War may refer to: * British-Afghan Wars ** First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–1842) ** Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880) ** Siege of Malakand & Tirah Campaign (1897) ** Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919) ** Operation Herrick (War in Afghan ...

. In the summer of 1930 a rebellion by dissident

tribesmen, known as ' AJAB KHAN AFRIDI' Redshirts, broke out. As this threatened the security of Peshawar, two

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

Groups were sent to occupy the Khajuri Plain, west of Peshawar and south of the

Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass (خیبر درہ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing pa ...

. Their role was to open up the area by constructing roads and strong points. This would help prevent any future tribal infiltration towards Peshawar as well as being a punitive measure, since the Afridis had been accustomed to pasture their flocks on this low ground during the winter months. On 17 October 1930 the British-led force crossed into the Tirah Valley at Bara, six miles from Peshawar, and advanced a further seven miles to Miri Khel. Here a fortified camp was constructed from which operations against the Afridis were conducted. On 16 January 1931, the force was withdrawn, having accomplished its objective. British and Indian Army forces that took part in the campaign received the India General Service Medal with the clasp North West Frontier 1930-31.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afridi Redshirt Rebellion, Indian North West Frontier 1930-31. 20th-century military history of the United Kingdom Military history of British India Conflicts in 1930 Conflicts in 1931