Third Anglo-Afghan War
1919 war between the British Empire (India) and the Emirate of Afghanistan
The Third Anglo-Afghan War, also known as the Third Afghan War, the British-Afghan War of 1919, and in Afghanistan as the War of Liberation, was a short war which began on 3 May and ended on 8 August 1919. The new Emir of the Emirate of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan declared the holy war of Jihad against the British in the hope to proclaim full independence, as well as to strengthen his own legitimacy. Amanullah's forces invaded British India on three fronts taking advantage of the unrest in India, in an effort to seize the old Afghan provinces west of the Indus River.
Initial victories saw the Afghans invade across the border, defeating the British and occupying Bagh. The British retaliated, leading a counterattack that routed the Afghans. Conflict continued in Kurram, which saw the British overwhelmed. Taking their own initiative, the British seized Spin Boldak in the south, while an Afghan offensive in Thal was contained, with the British occupying Dacca in turn by the end of May. The Royal Air Force were also used in bombing and strafing attacks on the frontier tribes as well as targets within Afghanistan, including Kabul and Jalalabad. Although small in scale, it was a contributing force for Amanullah to call for an armistice in June.
The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 was signed on 8 August which resulted in the Afghans re-gaining de jure control of foreign affairs from Britain, and the Afghans recognizing the Durand Line as the international border between India and Afghanistan.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Third Anglo-Afghan War” is 1919 war between the British Empire (India) and the Emirate of Afghanistan. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Third, Anglo-Afghan and between, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “1919 war between the British Empire (India) and the Emirate of Afghanistan” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1259237. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1919.
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This entry incorporates text from “Third Anglo-Afghan War” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.