Changes

Although the main army invading [[Afghanistan]] could not pass through Sikh territory for political reasons, it was seen desirable to mount an attack from two directions to compel [[Dost Mohammed|Amir Dost Mohammed Khan]] to divide his forces. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Martin_Wade Lt-Col Claude Wade], who was political agent in [[Ludhiana]], was entrusted with making the subsidiary movement through the [[Khyber Pass]] to [[Kabul]]. He arrived at [[Peshawar]] in March 1839 and, aided by Lt Frederick Mackeson, Dr Percival Barton Lord and Lt Joseph Cunningham, he tried to win over the Afridi tribes. This was only partially successful and he was obliged to try to force the Khyber Pass with a mixed contingent of [[Shah ShujahShuja-ul-Mulk |Shah Shuja's ]] Afghan levies, punjabis from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranjit_Singh Ranjit Singh's] regular army and a few [[East India Company]] troops. He was accompanied by Shazadeh Muhammad Timur the son of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuja_Shah_Durrani Shah Shujah ul Mulk]. He took the strategic fort of [[Occupation of Ali Masjid Fort|Ali Masjid]] on 27 July 1839. The British threat from the south forced Dost Mohammed to recall his son [[Mohammad Akbar|Mohammad Akbar Khan]] from[[ Jalalabad]] and the way was open. The strategy had worked and the expeditionary force reached Kabul on 3 September less that a month after Shah Shujah and the combined army.