When Pashtun Soldiers refused to fight against Ottomans

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

The Pathans were not eager to fight Ottoman Tturkey. This was evident among the Pathan personnel in the 20th infantry when the unit was destined for Mesopotamia in late 1914. Infact on 19 November and 26 November 1914, some kamber khel Afridis deserted to the ottoman Turks. Arthur barret cabled to GHQ India that this unit be sent from Mesopotamia to India. John Nixon was also against the north-west frontier pathans and afghans against Ottoman Turkey. On 12 April, during the Turkish attack at shaiba, the bajauri and bunerwal Pathans deserted from the unit.
The Army in British India: From Colonial Warfare to Total War 1857 - 1947 - Kaushik Roy - Google Books
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........Members of Pathan tribes of North-West frontier (Pakhtunkhwa) , however, raised strong objections on the religious grounds. Abstentions and desertions among pathans in the initial stages of campaigns exceeded those among all other martial classes. In early 1915, two Pathan units refused even to embark for service in Mesopotamia, with members of one unit opening fire on their officers.

Omissi has observed : "By march, major general Arther Barret, the original commander of 6th indian division in Mesopotamia, had twice requested the replacement of four companies of pathans which he didn't trust. The authorities in India refused on the grounds that they could not depend on muslim troops to fight on North-West Frontier (Pakhtunkhwa) either, and therefore couldn't spare non-Muslim units for service overseas.
In February 1915, the pathans who advanced upto the tigiris with the relief force, refused to fight the ottomans, consequently, in late February, all trans-indus pathans were removed from the force and sent back downriver.
The Indian Army in the Two World Wars - Google Books

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In December 1914 some trans-indus Pathans deserted to Turks in Mesopotamia, the remainder of regiment was withdrawn from frontlines.

British Strategy and War Aims 1914-1916 (RLE First World War) - David French - Google Books
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In 1914 there were nearly 5000 trans-indus Pathans in the Indian Army, of whom about half were Afridis. By June 1916 over 600 Afridis had deserted to Turks. In November 1915 all recruitment of trans-indus Pathans was stopped.
World War I - Michael S. Neiberg - Google Books

15th Lancers
The 15th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army which existed from 1858 to 1921. The regiment was one of the single class regiments, with all troops being recruited from the Multani Pathan community. In 1915, 15th lancers were detached from the Lahore Division and sent to the Middle East. On landing at Basra from Europe, 429 soldiers of 15th lancers refused to fight fellow Muslims, i.e. the Turks, in the Holy Land of Islam.
Izzat: historical records and iconography of Indian cavalry regiments, 1750-2007 - Ashok Nath - Google Books
The incident of 15 Lancers Pathan rebellion is mentioned in one of the volumes of the British official history of Operations in Mesopotamia but at the moment I don't have the exact page number and volume number. This 15 Lancer was an Alizai dominated unit and was one of the very few units of Indian Cavalry to have an 'Honorary Native Commandant' Nawab Abdullah Khan who was the Head of the Alizai clan of Dera Ismail Khan Pathans (Refers-Page- 153-The Armies of India-Major G.F Macmunn- Adam and Charles Black- London 1911).
Letter
@Kaan,

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

Pathan Volunteers, Mesopotamia 1915
From left to right they are Mirmast, Itbargul, Mohabad Khan, the cook Seyed Ahmed and the two volunteers that had arrived from America, Abdur Rahman Khan and Abdul Subhan Khan. They wear simple khaki uniforms with red fezzes. The Afghan Mission was a collective of Indian, German and Ottoman military and diplomatic personnel sent to Kabul to try to convince Emir Habibullah of Afghanistan to join the Central Powers and rise up in a Jihad against the British in India. These six pathans were recruited to protect the mission.

 

[Shahmir]

But pashtuns have fought wars against tajiks, are tajiks lesser muslims than ottoman turks then.

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

But pashtuns have fought wars against tajiks, are tajiks lesser muslims than ottoman turks then.

Sentiments for Ottomans were different, due to khilafat.
And Civil war in Afghanistan of 90s is rather recent event, it was tug of war between factions of Afghan mujahideen...rather than communal war between tajiks and pashtuns.

 

[dawn_news]

From another thread, Afghani-one

"however rumours started that they were going to be sent to fight in the Middle East against fellow Muslims from the Ottoman Empire.[57]

On 16 February 1915, while preparations for departure were under way, the four companies of Punjabi Muslims mutinied while the Pathan sepoys of the remaining four companies scattered in confusion".

What did you say that only pathans refused? Even then they were Pakistani pathans, Afghani ones were enjoying silver coins given by British so they can gave up claim on FATA areas and beyond.

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

From another thread, Afghani-one

"however rumours started that they were going to be sent to fight in the Middle East against fellow Muslims from the Ottoman Empire.[57]

On 16 February 1915, while preparations for departure were under way, the four companies of Punjabi Muslims mutinied while the Pathan sepoys of the remaining four companies scattered in confusion".

What did you say that only pathans refused? Even then they were Pakistani pathans, Afghani ones were enjoying silver coins given by British so they can gave up claim on FATA areas and beyond.

Stop copy pasting some lines from editble wikipedia. Whatever you are trying to convey, back up it with sources, preferably british ones. You can create another thread for singapor mutiny, this one is about mesopotemia

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

From another thread, Afghani-one

"however rumours started that they were going to be sent to fight in the Middle East against fellow Muslims from the Ottoman Empire.[57]

On 16 February 1915, while preparations for departure were under way, the four companies of Punjabi Muslims mutinied while the Pathan sepoys of the remaining four companies scattered in confusion".

What did you say that only pathans refused? Even then they were Pakistani pathans, Afghani ones were enjoying silver coins given by British so they can gave up claim on FATA areas and beyond.

Does afghani one even consider seraki Pathans as Pakhtuns? lol.. and the troops were from modern day Pak aswell.,.. not afghanistan...

 

[dawn_news]

Does afghani one even consider seraki Pathans as Pakhtuns? lol.. and the troops were from modern day Pak aswell.,.. not afghanistan...

Only when it suits them. Afghani-one hardly give pathan certificates to KPK pashtuns. Now imagine unpure punjabi pathans who can't speak word of pashto and are mixed with punjabis.