History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v3.c44.s10: §11. Aghar Khan's victories.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v3.c44.s10
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§11. Aghar Khan's victories.
v3.c44.s10.1
Meantime, great deeds were being done by Aghar Khan west of Peshawar. First he foiled a night attack of the Mohmands and their allies, and retaliated by slaying 300 of them, ravaging their homes, and bringing away 2,000 captives and much booty. Then he tried to open the Khaibar Pass by leading the Van of the army of Fidai Khan, the new governor of Kabul. Forty thousand Afghans opposed him near Ali Masjid, but after a long contest in which both sides lost heavily and Aghar Khan was severely wounded, the enemy fled, leaving behind them many thousands of dead and prisoners.
v3.c44.s10.2
But still the Afghans were not crushed; they rallied in a short time and closed the path further ahead. The jealousy of his colleagues, especially of the Hindustani nobles, added to the difficulties of Aghar Khan and his brother Turks. So, he escorted Fidai Khan to Jalalabad by way of Bazarak and Seh Chuba, fighting all the way. Next, with a force of 5,000 Rajputs and Afghan friendlies, he occupied Nangrahar and tried to keep the roads open. The Ghilzais who had seized the Jagdalak Pass were repeatedly defeated and expelled from it. When he was staying at the outpost of Gandamak, the Afghans, 30 or 40 thousand strong, attacked him at night. The battle raged till the next afternoon, when the enemy were repulsed. Of all the Mughal generals he alone was uniformly victorious over the frontier tribes, and Afghan mothers, it is said, used to hush their babies to sleep with his dreaded name. (K. K. ii. 237—246.)
v3.c44.s10.3
The Emperor's plan was that Prince Akbar should advance eastwards from Jalalabad, sending his Van under Jaswant Singh by way of the Khaibar and a division under Hasan Beg Khan by way of the Karapa defile,—while a detachment from Peshawar under Aghar Khan would march westwards, so that the Khaibar tribes would be enveloped and crushed by this simultaneous attack, and no grain from outside would reach the Afghan rebels.* We have already seen what Aghar Khan did. But evidently Prince Akbar could not carry out his part of the plan of campaign. He passed a short time at Kabul, settling the affairs of the province, and then returned to Hasan Abdal, leaving Fidai Khan in command.