A quick quote on what happened on one of the last occasions the British Army was in Kabul.
"On January 1, 1842, the British in Kabul and a number of Afghan chiefs reached an agreement that provided for the safe exodus of the entire British garrison and its dependents from Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the British would not wait for an Afghan escort to be assembled, and the Ghilzai and allied tribes had not been among the 18 chiefs who had signed the agreement. On January 6 the precipitate retreat by some 4,500 British and Indian troops with 12,000 camp followers began and, as they struggled through the snowbound passes, Ghilzai warriors attacked the British. A Dr. W. Brydon is usually cited as the only survivor of the march to Jalalabad,out of more than 15,000 who undertook the retreat."
1 man left (and his donkey) out the 16500 who started!
Last edited by JTIDS; 25th May 2006 at 21:37.