Purdil Khan (died 1930) was a

Saqqawist The Saqqawists (Pashto:سقاویان prs, سقاوی‌ها ''Saqāwīhā'') were an armed group in the Kingdom of Afghanistan who were active from 1924 to 1931. They were led by Habibullāh Kalakāni, and in January 1929, they managed to take c ...

politician who served as minister of defence under

Habibullāh Kalakāni Habibullah Kalakani ( prs, , 19 January 1891 – 1 November 1929), also known by his nickname "Bacha-ye Saqao" (also romanized Bachai Sakao; literally ''son of the water carrier'') was the ruler of Afghanistan from 17 January to 13 October 1929 ...

during the Afghan Civil War of 1928–29, and briefly became the leader of the movement during a rebellion in July 1930.

Personal life

Purdil was the uncle of

Role in the 1928–29 civil war

Purdil was appointed field marshal of the Saqqawist Afghan army in January 1929, following the capture of Kabul. By 24 March, Purdil had become minister of defense. After the Saqqawist capture of Kandahar, Purdil pleaded to Kalakani that

Ali Ahmad Khan Amir Ali Ahmad Khan, ''Shaghasi'' ( ps, ; prs, ; 1883–1929) was an Afghan king from the Shaghasi family of the Barakzai tribe who was declared king of Afghanistan twice in 1929. He was first declared amir of Afghanistan by and influential cle ...

be spared, but this was refused. Purdil took command in the following battles: * Battle of Maydan, 24 March 1929. Saqqawist victory. * Battle of Shaykhabad, 9 April 1929. anti-Saqqawist victory. * Battle of Ghazni, 28 April 1929. Saqqawist victory. * Siege of Kalat, 19–23 May 1929. Saqqawist victory. * Capture of Kandahar, 31 May 1929. Saqqawist victory. * Fall of Kabul, 9–13 October 1929. anti-Saqqawist victory, end of the civil war.

Kuhistan rebellion and death

After the end of the civil war, Purdil organized a new revolt. In July 1930, Saqqawists fought against state forces in modern-day Kohistan District,

Kapisa Province Kapisa (Pashto/Dari: ) is the smallest of Afghanistan's thirty-four provinces and is located in the north-east of the country. It has an estimated population of 496,840 people and an area of , making it the most densely populated province apar ...

. The rebellion was crushed within a week. After the rebellion was suppressed, 3000 of the rebels were captured and 11 of the ringleaders were executed, while the rest were allowed to go home and "follow some honest pursuit". Purdil was killed during the fighting.

References

{{reflist 1930 deaths 20th-century Afghan military personnel Afghan rebels