Aimal Khan Mohmand, also known as Aimal Shah, was a prominent 17th century Afghan ruler, military commander, and chief, who proclaimed himself king and declared the holy war (Jihad) against the Mughal empire.[1] [2] [3] He was considered a prominent warrior in the Mughal–Afghan Wars.[4] Khan spent most of his life Against Aurangzeb.[5] [6] He was well known for Greatest Afghan Revolt in 1670s in which numerous Mughal Military commanders including Shujaat Khan were killed.[7] [8] Darya Khan Afridi was a close ally of Khan in the military campaign against Aurangzib Alamgir. After this campaign, Aurangzib Alamgir marched towards Peshawar and restored peace with the help of some Afghan chiefs.[9]
The Afghan borderland faced a pivotal moment when a Safi girl was dishonored by the Mughal soldiers, deeply angering the Afghans. To avenge this disgrace, a coalition comprising Afridi, Shinwari, Mohmand forces, and the Safi tribal lashkar, first executed the perpetrators and then defeated Hussain Beg, the Mughal faujdar of Kunar. Muhammad Amin, aggrieved by this defeat, sought significant retaliation.[10]
In 1672, during spring, the Mughal governor of Kabul Muhammad Amin, fell into an ambush orchestrated by Afghan tribes under Aimal Khan Mohmand at Ali Masjid. Around forty thousand Mughals were killed, and twenty thousand men and women were captured.[11] some people refer it as the Battle of Landi Kotal.
Khushal Khan Khattak, along with his tribe, long-serving allies of the Mughals, joined forces with Aimal Khan and Darya Khan. Together, they led an attack with an army of eight thousand Afghan tribesmen on the Mughal fort in Nowshera. The fort was plundered, and Pir Paie, the fort's subehdar, was slain. The Mughal forces incurred significant losses in this battle.[12] [13]
After the Mughal defeat at Nowshera, Aimal Khan inflicted a crushing defeat on the Mughal commander Mir Hussain at Doaba.[14]
Shujaat Khan, known for suppressing the Satnami uprising, was dispatched by Aurangzeb to suppress Afghan resistance. In February 1674, Shujat Khan set off from Peshawar towards Kabul via the Mohmand area. Aimal Khan Mohmand saw an opportunity to give mughals a pitched battle. He aggressively pursued Shujat Khan into the Gandab valley, encircling the Mughals from three sides. The sudden and fierce attack led to the death of thousands of Mughal soldiers, causing many to flee. Shujat Khan sustained fatal wounds and died during the battle. Maharaja Jaswant Singh narrowly escaped with a few followers from the battlefield.[15]
In 1675, the Afghans handed Fidai Khan a significant defeat at Jagdalak while he was heading to Peshawar.[16]
In June 1675, the Mughal army faced a significant defeat in the battle of Khapush. Operating near Khapush in the Bajaur region, Mukarram Khan was lured into an ambush by a Pashtun lashkar led by Aimal Khan and Darya Khan.[17] The Mughals suffered substantial casualties, resulting in the death of their commander, Shamsher Khan. Although severely wounded, Mukarram Khan managed to retreat to the Mughal base in Bajaur.[18]