A decisive Afghan victory that inflicted heavy casualties on British-Indian forces during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, marking a major setback for British operations in the region.
Key Facts
- Date
- 27 July 1880
- Afghan force size
- 25,000 regulars and irregulars
- British-Indian force size
- 2,476 troops
- British-Indian casualties
- Up to 1,200 killed
- Afghan casualties
- 2,500–3,000 killed and wounded
- Subsequent battle
- British defeated Ayub Khan at Kandahar, 1 September 1880
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Second Anglo-Afghan War, Mohammad Ayub Khan marched on Kandahar with a large Afghan army of 25,000 regulars and irregulars, threatening British control of the region. Brigadier-General George Burrows led a relatively small British and Indian force of 2,476 men to intercept him near the village of Maiwand in Kandahar Province.
On 27 July 1880, Afghan forces under Ayub Khan engaged and overwhelmed Burrows' outnumbered British-Indian column near Maiwand. The Afghans inflicted approximately 1,200 killed on the British-Indian side while suffering between 2,500 and 3,000 casualties themselves, routing the British force in one of the most significant Afghan victories of the war.
The Battle of Maiwand proved a major setback for British forces, but the advantage was short-lived. On 1 September 1880, British forces decisively defeated Ayub Khan at the Battle of Kandahar, reversing the Afghan gains and effectively concluding the main military operations of the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Mohammad Ayub Khan.
Side B
1 belligerent
Brigadier-General George Burrows.