Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"The British never accepted that they had 'invaded' in 1839, or were 'occupying' Afghanistan. . . . Yet the local people did not believe them and rose up in revolt. . . . Warriors began to attack as the contingent of 4500 Indian and British soldiers and around 10,000 wives, children, and civil servants traveled through the passes and gorges along the Kabul River. At the Gandamak Pass, on January 13, the attacks became a massacre. . . . This Anglo-Afghan war was part of the 'Great Game,' to secure Britain's hold on India, using Afghanistan as a buffer against Russian encroachments. Britain invaded again in 1879 and 1919. Afghanistan was easy to defeat; conquering it was something different." [Furtado: 1001 Days]