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July 27, 1880: "When enemy cavalry cleared the front we were able to see indistinctly masses & masses of men. Due to the haze it was only when they moved about that we could distinguish them as men & not a dense forest" wrote British Captain Mosley Mayne of #Afghans approaching.
"They began to open fire, battery after battery...This bombardment continued & by noon mass of #Afghan cavalry in loose open order had moved round to threaten our left flank, while crowds of white-robed Ghazis advanced on our right from the direction of Maiwand." #BattleofMaiwand
As troops pushed against Afghans, a teenager named Malalai joined battle. She was there to bring water to soldiers but then #MalalaiofMawaind held flag (painting is modern Afg flag) & said an encouraging landay for Afghans to fight back. She was killed, Afghan army continued...
Afghans won the #BattleofMaiwand, with army led by Ghazi Mohammad Ayub Khan. The defeat of British Indian army by Afghans, with the near annihilation of 3 infantry regiments, brought heavy criticism of British Empire & caused a sensation in Europe during Second Anglo-Afghan War.
British intelligence estimated Afghan army at ten regular Kabuli and Herati infantry regiments totalling 6000 men and 4000 cavalry supported by 36 guns. But British intelligence was wrong, 25,000 Afghan men - including thousands of tribesmen joined Ayub to fight in July of 1880.
"Surrounded by most of the #Afghan army, they fought on until only 11 men were left, inflicting enormous loss on enemy", wrote one of Ayub's senior artillery officers. "These men charged out of the garden and died with their faces to the foe." Map by John Fawkes. #BattleofMaiwand
One hundred-forty years later, today Afghanistan is celebrating National Flag Day. On July 27, 1880, it was an Afghan woman #MalalaiofMaiwand who picked up a flag representing Afghans & said the following landay poem:
كه په ميوند كي شهيد نه شوي
خدايرو لاليه بي نيگي ته ديساتينه
كه په ميوند كي شهيد نه شوي
خدايرو لاليه بي نيگي ته ديساتينه
