Southern Turkestan
How and When Southern Turkestan Was Occupied by Afghan Governments
It is well-known that the formation of modern Afghanistan was closely tied to the colonial ambitions of Britain and Russia in Asia during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the partitioning of this region by these imperial powers.
1. 1747 – Foundation of the First Independent Pashtun State
After the assassination of Nader Shah Afshar in 1747, Ahmad Shah Abdali—backed by Nader’s Uzbek and Turkmen troops led by Haji Beg Khan Ming-Bashi—established the first Pashtun-ruled state in what is now southern Afghanistan (mainly Kandahar and surrounding areas).
2. 1748–1751 – Abdali’s Conquest of Southern Turkestan
In 1748, Ahmad Shah Abdali ordered Bijai Khan Popalzai (Shah Wali Khan) to subdue his rival Haji Beg and other local rulers in the region, capitalizing on the fragmentation caused by the fall of the Ashtarqhanid dynasty and the rise of the Mangits. Through political manipulation, he conquered Southern Turkestan and, by 1751, made it a tributary province to Afghanistan.
3. Post‑1748 – Administrative Fragmentation
Under Afghan rule, Southern Turkestan lost its political unity, splitting into several small khanates—Maimana, Andkhoy, Balkh, Sar-e Pul, Aqcha, Qataghan, Badakhshan, etc.—due to ethnic divisions and administrative manipulation.
4. Post‑Fall of Shah Zaman Abdali – Temporary Autonomy
Following the collapse of Shah Zaman Abdali’s state, Afghanistan lapsed into tribal unrest. Southern Turkestan regained relative independence and self-rule under local khanates (e.g., Maimana’s Mir Muhammad Sharif Khan) from mid‑18th century until 1894, resisting both Afghan and Russian encroachment.
5. Summer 1840 – Emir Dost Mohammad’s Jihad
When Kabul and southeastern Afghanistan fell under British influence in 1840, the deposed Emir Dost Mohammad Khan, exiled in Bukhara, returned via Transoxiana to Southern Turkestan and declared jihad against the British. The local Turkmen rallied a 30,000‑person volunteer force under his leadership.
6. 28 September 1840 – Betrayal at Tamat Dara
Despite early success, Dost Mohammad secretly surrendered to the British, leaving the Turkestan volunteers stranded at Tamat Dara. They were besieged by British and Afghan forces and were mostly annihilated due to betrayal by local tribal leaders.
7. 1847 – Yarmuhammad Khan’s Atrocities
In 1847, Herat’s governor Yarmuhammad Khan Sadozai invaded Southern Turkestan, justified by a supposed joint campaign against Iranians and the British. He massacred Turkmen in regions like Chichakto, erecting “tower-of-skulls” monuments. After an 11-month siege, he captured Andkhoy and looted it comprehensively, leaving the area destroyed and depopulated—even he suffered supply shortages during the retreat.
8. 1893 – Fall of Maimana’s Last Emir
The last independent emir of Maimana, Mir Muhammad Sharif Khan, was deposed in 1893. Around 750 Turkmen families were marched—carrying large sacks of soil from Maimana—to Kabul. All males were publicly executed on that very earth. Their graves formed a mass burial hill still known as “Tepe-ye Belhchak”.
9. 17 May 1828 – Emir Shir Ali’s Massacre
On that morning, Emir Shir Ali Khan’s forces captured Maimana after a bloody battle, killing thousands of men, women, and children. Court poet Zulfiqar wrote that “the Turanians were wiped from the face of the earth.”
10. 1299 AH (~1882 CE) – Deception and Killing
In 1299 AH, Emir Abdur Rahman’s envoy, Sardar Ishaq Khan, tricked Mir Delavar Khan of Maimana into peace under Quranic oath. He then sent him and many notables to Kabul, where they were all executed—including Abdul Baqi Khan Ming Bashi (father of Professor Ghulam Muhammad Mingangi).
11. 1929 – Nadir Khan’s Book Burning
During Nadir Khan’s rule (1929), Governor Muhammad Hashim Khan and Vali Muhammad Gul Muhmand demolished Maimana’s citadel. They burned over 4,000 printed and manuscript works in Turki—the largest book-burning in history.
12. 1929–1930s – Banning the Turki Language
Under Nadir and then his son Zahir Shah, Turki language education was banned—even in private schools—and replaced by Pashto by force.
13. Land Reforms and Pashtun Resettlement
Under Amanullah Khan, Nadir Shah, and Zahir Shah, the “Law of Transference” was enacted. Tens of thousands of Pashtun families from the south and east (across the Durand Line) were resettled in Southern Turkestan. They were allotted valuable land parcels—plowing, herding, and ownership rights—often at the expense of native Turki and Tajik farmers. This process continues to this day.
14. 1933 – Mass Deportations under Hashim Khan
Under the pretext of suppressing Ibrahim Beg Laqi (a pro-Russian anti-Soviet freedom fighter), Prime Minister Hashim Khan in 1933 forcibly deported and annihilated thousands of Turkmen families, producing a long-lasting saga of exile and suffering remembered in Southern Turkestan to this day.
15. 23 Dalw 1343 (Feb 1965) – Massacre in Bagavi
On Friday, 23 Dalw 1343 (Bagavi village, Sar-e Pul), dozens of Tajik and Uzbek peasants were executed by machine gun fire under Muhammad Akram Ishaqzai and his brother Kamalil Yad Ishaqzai. The bodies and animals were burned together.
16. 1929–1930s – Exclusion from Institutions
During Nadir’s rule and early reign of Zahir Shah, Turks—including Turkmen and Uzbeks—as well as Hazaras were banned from entering military schools, foreign ministry, and interior ministry positions.
17. Dawood Khan’s Land Reforms Abuses
During Dawood Khan’s land reform initiatives, government agents—described as “ravenous and merciless wolves”—exploited and extorted the Turkmen peasantry as part of their field campaigns, enriching themselves at the farmers’ expense.
18. 1978 – 1357 SH (Taraki & Amin) – Ethnic Repression
Under Taraki and Hafizullah Amin in 1978 Saur Revolution, Turkmen identity was targeted more systematically, leading to the killing of thousands of ethnic Turkmen for alleged political reasons.
19. 1980s – Under Dr. Najibullah’s Regime
During Dr. Najibullah’s presidency, Uzbek and Turkmen fighters were persecuted under various pretexts. Coordinated uprisings by these groups contributed to his eventual downfall.
20. 1997 – Taliban Massacre in Qeysar
In 1997, after the fall of Qeysar to the Taliban, many young local Turkmen were massacred; their severed heads were displayed alongside dog heads for photographs.
21. 1971 Famine & Kuchi Incursions
The severe famine of 1971 ravaged Southern Turkestan. Coordinated Kuchi (nomad) incursions, especially in Karai Elmar near Maimana under the leadership of martyr Noorullah Khan Qaraei, sparked a conflict that persists today.
22. 27 May 2007 – Jowzjan Massacre
On Friday, 27 May 2007 (7 Jawza, 1386 SH), Jowzjan’s governor Jam’ah Khan ordered the army to open fire on peaceful protesters, killing dozens of innocent civilians.
Prepared by: Ustad Meymengi
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