Jamrud

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Jamrud (Urdu: جمرود), is a town located in the Khyber Agency, one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The town is the doorway to the Khyber pass, part of the Hindu Kush range. The town has road and rail linkages with Peshawar city of Pakistan, and a pass connects it with Landi Kotal, located near the borders of Afghanistan.

Jamrud, lying in proximity to the Khyber pass, has remained a location on the trade route between central Asia and the South Asia and a strategic military location.

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[edit] Location

Jamrud is located at an altitude of 1512 ft (461 meters) above sea level and is 10.2 miles (17 km) west from the city of Peshawar. Jamrud Fort is located at 33.969N,71.338E.

[edit] History

[edit] Sikh-Afghan Conflict

In 1836 it was occupied by Hari Singh Nalwa, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's commander but in April 1837 Dost Mohammad Khan sent a body of Afghans to attack it. The Sikhs gained a convincing victory, despite the loss of general Nalwa.

[edit] British Era

Afghan chiefs and a British Political Officer posed at Jamrud fort at the mouth of the Khyber Pass in 1878.
Afghan chiefs and a British Political Officer posed at Jamrud fort at the mouth of the Khyber Pass in 1878.

Jamrud was a strategic location and served as a base for a cantonment of the British Indian Army during the period of the British Raj. During the military operations of 1878-79 Jamrud became a place of considerable importance as the frontier outpost on British territory towards Afghanistan, and it was also the base of operations for a portion of the Tirah campaign in 1897-1898. It was also the headquarters of the Khyber Rifles, and the collecting station for the Khyber tolls. The population in 1901 was 1,848.

The place continues to be of strategic significance.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Coordinates: 34°00′N, 71°23′E

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