An Ever Present Danger

Recent Pakistani military operations against the Taliban have once again thrust the historically volatile region of Pakistan's North-West Frontier into the international limelight. Matthews provides a brief historical background of the British in India, geography of the North-West Frontier, the Pashtun tribes, and provides a short interpretation of the First Afghan War; he discusses British military operations from 1849-1900, the Punjab Irregular Force (PIF), its efforts to stop Pashtun raids into Punjab, and early corrective expeditions into the North-West Frontier. Matthews further explores British attempts to capture the lessons of the 1897-1898 Pashtun revolt through new training manuals, new training programs, and folding the irregular forces into the British and Indian Regular Army. He observes the successes of these programs (the 1908 Khel and Mohmand campaigns), the consequences of their abandonment prior to the 1919-1921 Waziristan Campaign, and the challenges confronting the British and Indian Army on the North-West Frontier during the 1920s and 1930s. He discusses British attempts to "Pass It On" or include the past lessons of "hill warfare" as well as the results of new tactical adjustments that can be explored by examining the 1935 Mohmand campaign, the 1936-1937 Waziristan campaign, and British efforts to track down and kill the elusive Faqir of Ipi. Finally, Matthews offers an analysis of lessons learned by the British on the North-West Frontier and their relevance for the US Army and its allies.