Beyond the Khyber Pass: The Road to British Disaster in the First Afghan War

A nice little history of the First Afghan War of 1839-1842. As the British East India Company started to worry about Russian incursions into Central Asia, the British became involved in the politics of Sind, the Punjab, and Afghanistan. Thus started the Great Game between Russian and British interests in Central Asia. The First Afghan War was the result of this competition. The British decided to foist a deposed Afgan Shah onto the country and depose Shah Mohammed Dost. The first third of the book details the lead up to the war and the politics. The second third details the British occupation of Afghanistan and last third detail the death of the Kabul occupation army as it retreats through the Khyber. Only one man returned from this occupation army. This is a good read, and something to remember with our current situation in Afghanistan. The British were trying to install a pro-British government in Kabul during this war. It is a wonder how history repeats itself.