Akbar was the son of Dost Mohammed Khan, and he led a revolt in Kabul against the British mission of William McNaughten, Alexander 'Sekundar' Burnes and their garrison of 4,500 men. In November 1841, he murdered the two British agents and besieged Major-General William Elphinstone's force in Kabul. Elphinstone accepted a safe-conduct for his force and about 12,000 associated refugees to flee to India; they were ambushed and massacred.
Historians think it unlikely that Akbar Khan wished for the total annihilation of the British force. An astute man politically, he would have been aware that allowing the British to extricate themselves from Afghanistan would give him the time to consolidate his control of the diverse hill tribes; whereas, a massacre of 14,000 people of which only about a quarter were a fighting force, would not be tolerated back in London and would result in another, larger army sent to exact retribution. This was in fact what happened the following year.
Many believe that Akbar Khan was poisoned by his father, Dost Mohammed, who feared his ambitions.
In fiction
The historical figure of Akbar Khan plays a major role in George MacDonald Fraser's novel ''Flashman.References
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Last updated on Saturday July 19, 2008 at 17:43:18 PDT (GMT -0700)
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