Khyber Rifles
The Khyber Rifles (German: Chaiber Infantry) is a paramilitary association that today forms part of Pakistan's modern armed forces to protect national borders. Since the late 19th century, the regiment has also been called King of the Khyber Rifles , according to a novella .
history
First commanders
During the period of the British Raj , the Khyber Rifles were one of eight border troops or paramilitary groups that were recruited from members of the tribes on Pakistan's northwestern border and served as auxiliary troops for the British Indian Army . In the early 1880s, the Khyber Rifles were recruited from men of the Afridi , a Pashtun tribe. The Khyber Rifles were led by British commanders from the regular Indian regiments. Subordinate officers were from the Afridi tribe. The first in command of the Khyber Rifles was Sir Robert Warburton , son of the Anglo-Irish soldier Robert Warburton of the Bengal Artillery and his wife Shah Jehan Begum , an Afghan princess. Sir Robert Warburton was in command until his discharge. His deputy, Nawab Sir Aslam Khan Saddozai , was the first Muslim commandant after him.
headquarters
The headquarters of the Khyber Rifles are in Landi Kotal . Its most important task was to protect the Khyber Pass . The regiment's three main types of garrison were in Landi Kotal, at the western end of the pass, Fort Maude in the east, and Ali Masjid in the center of the Khyber Pass.
Badge and uniform
The badge of the Khyber Rifles shows two crossed daggers with the words KHYBER above and RIFLES below. While the Indian army has been known for its colorful and elaborate uniform since 1914, the border troops only wore khaki uniforms and turbans.
Disputes in the 19th century
The regiment was involved in the so-called Black Mountain Expeditions from 1888 to 1891, in a period when the Kyber Pass was no cause for conflict. In August 1897, during the Afridi uprising - when the three forts of the Kyber Rifles fell - they had to retreat as far as Jamrud . It took four months and 40,000 soldiers to retake the Khyber Pass and the garrisons of Landi Kotal , Fort Maude and Ali Masjid .
Dissolution and recovery
During the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, the loyalty of the Khyber Rifles sank and there were numerous desertions . The regiment was classified as unreliable and disbanded. 1,180 men were released and a few were transferred to a battalion of the military police or incorporated into a newly formed Khyber Levy Corps .
The Khyber Rifles were rebuilt after the end of the Second World War in 1946 by veterans of the Afridi, with the headquarters in Landi Kotal. The commander of the new Sharif Khan regiment was an Afridi himself.
Modern Khyber Rifles
In August 1947 the Khyber Rifles and other border troops were incorporated into the Pakistani Army. In addition to their traditional police duties in the tribal areas of the Khyber region, the Khyber Rifles replaced border troops in Kashmir and in eastern Pakistan. Today the Khyber Rifles are primarily concerned with tackling the problems caused by refugees and terrorists from Afghanistan.
Khyber Rifles in 2009
The modern regiment of the Khyber Rifles has five so-called "wings" (squadrons), each of which has the strength of an infantry battalion. The 1st and 4th wing are stationed on the western border, the 2nd wing in the Swat district , the 3rd wing near Jamrud and the 5th wing in Bajur .
The commandant is currently Colonel Furqan Ullah Khan Tareen .
Individual evidence
- ^ John Gaylor: Sons of John Company - the Indian & Pakistan Armies 1903-1991 . ISBN 0-946771-98-7 , page 310
- ↑ in 2009
literature
- Charles Chevenix: Frontier Scouts . Cape. London 1985.