In May 1919 the new Emir of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan-convinced that the British Empire was on the brink of collapse-proclaimed a jihad against Britain in the hope the could seize the old Afghan provinces west of the River Indus and humiliate his old enemy. The war began with the invasion of the tribal belt, in what is today Pakistan, where Amanullah expected to rouse all the tribes against the British. British-Indian forces retaliated by fighting their way across the mountains and back up the Khyber Pass. For the sake of a better peace, the third Afghan War ended with Britain granting autonomy in foreign affairs to the Afghans in the Treaty of Rawalpindi. Whilst air power had played a significant part in the British success, the Afghans had issued a stark reminder that they were formidable adversaries.

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