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SOME REMARKS ON THE MIGRANT ACTIVITIES OF IBRAHIMBEK, THE
TURKESTAN INDEPENDENT (KURBASHI) IN AFGHANISTAN
Norkuchkarov Khushvakt Eshnazarovich
Termez State University of Engineering and Agrarian Technologies
Teacher of the Department of Social and Humanitarian Sciences
E-mail:
Tel: +998919100221
Abstract:
This article is devoted to the history of the emigration to Afghanistan of the kurbashi -
Ibrahimbek and the representatives of the independence struggle who followed him, who were
condemned as representatives of the “suppression” movement due to the ideological approach of
the Soviet Union to our history in the 1920s, but in fact fought to liberate the entire territory of
Turkestan from the Bolshevik invaders. Also, a brief analysis of the attitude of the Afghan
government and local Afghan Uzbeks to the Turkestan leader Ibrahimbek and other
independence emigrants and their subsequent fates is conducted in Afghanistan.
Keywords:
Turkestan, Afghanistan, emigrant, independence struggle, kurbashi, Afghan Uzbeks,
Northern Afghanistan.
INTRODUCTION.
In the first weeks after the overthrow of the emir's power in Bukhara
(September 1920), an independence movement began in the western, central and eastern parts of
the country against the aggressive policy of the Red Army and the oppression of the Bolsheviks.
The ranks of the independence fighters in Bukhara included people from all strata of the people.
Peasants and artisans formed the basis of the young men in the ranks of the commanders. The
commanders, who were the leaders of the movement, were not only wealthy and prominent
religious figures, but also included many intellectuals and people of various professions.
Along with Uzbeks and Tajiks, Turkmens, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Karakalpaks also fought in the
ranks of the movement. Dozens of Turkish and Bashkir, as well as Tatar officers and advisers
were in the commander's detachments, who gave the young men military training, taught them
how to use modern weapons. .... The independence fighters who fought against the Red Army for
the freedom and independence of the Bukhara country openly stated their ideas and goals. They
were completely sure that they had embarked on the path of a just struggle [1, B.17].
Representatives of this independence movement who fought for the freedom of the Motherland
were for a long time associated with a negative image in Soviet literature as a "suppressionist"
movement. In fact, the leaders and leaders of the movement were considered commanders [2,
B.413]. During their struggle against the Soviet regime, many of the commander's detachments
that were defeated in battles or retreated went to neighboring countries to regroup and gather
troops and weapons. In particular, most of them sought refuge in Afghanistan. The main reason
for this was religious and ethnic commonality, as well as the aim of obtaining support from the
British in India.
According to the historian Sh. Hayitov, about 1 million Turkestanis who crossed the Afghan
border with the "basmachi" leaders in 1918-1922 were scattered throughout the territories of this
country [3, B.100]. The independence movements of the leaders spread throughout the entire
Turkestan region.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
. The history of the Uzbeks of Afghanistan and the Turkestans
who migrated to the country as immigrants has been studied by many researchers. In this article,
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an attempt was made to reveal the essence of the topic by comparing the opinions of several
researchers about the leader and commander of the national liberation struggle, Ibrahimbek, who
migrated to Afghanistan as an immigrant in the first quarter of the 20th century, using methods
such as comparative analysis, historicity, consistency, and objectivity. In order to clarify the
essence of the article, the monograph on the history of Uzbek emigration by Sh. Hayitov, a
prominent historian and scholar, on the history of Uzbek emigration, as well as the research of
orientalists Kh. Khashimbekov, Q. Rajabov, N. Nazarov, and several other scientists and
specialists were used.
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS.
Among the commanders in Bukhara, Ibrahimbek undoubtedly
stands out. He was from the Uzbek Lakai clan of Eastern Bukhara, and was initially promoted to
the rank of "guard beg" in 1919 for his services under the Beg of Hisar, and later by Sayyid
Alimkhan to the positions of "devon beg", "topchibashi" and "lashkarboshi". After the overthrow
of the emir's regime, Ibrahimbek led the general leadership of the groups of commanders in
Eastern Bukhara (except for the period when Anvar Pasha and Salim Pasha arrived in Eastern
Bukhara), raising the banner of freedom against the invading Red Army and the communist
regime. After the commander Ibrahimbek gathered more than ten thousand soldiers in a short
period of time in 1920-1921 and achieved success against the Red Army, in early 1921 Sayyid
Olimkhan appointed Ibrahimbek Devonbeg as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of all the
troops in Bukhara. Amir Sayyid Olimkhan also wrote the following about Ibrahimbek in his
memoirs: “... Ibrahimbek fought against the Bolsheviks for seven years, believing that the
Muslim people and this band were weak, and he showed heroism during the battles and kept me
informed of their results.” Many congresses of commanders were convened under the leadership
of Ibrahimbek. For example, at the congress of Bukhara commanders held in Hisar on December
31, 1924, Ibrahimbek gave special instructions on uniting all detachments operating in Eastern
Bukhara under a single command and increasing their activities, on the formation of commander
detachments and their methods of fighting, and on their relations with the population. After the
national-territorial demarcation was carried out in Turkestan and the Soviet Central Asian
republics were formed, almost all of Eastern Bukhara passed into the Tajik ASSR within the
Uzbek SSR. In 1925-1926, Ibrahimbek continued his struggle, mainly in the mountainous
regions of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. By the mid-twenties, the situation in Eastern Bukhara had
changed radically. Since 1926, when the Turkestan Front's large forces of the Central Asian
Military District were thrown against Ibrahimbek, he, after fierce battles, on June 21, 1926, went
over to the Afghan state. [1,B.31-36].
Ibrahimbek lived in the residence of the Bukhara emir Sayyid Alimkhan in Qalai Fatu near
Kabul in 1926-1927. According to Sayyid Alimkhan, "the Afghan state allocates five hundred
and fifty Kabuli rupees per month for his daily expenses" [1,B.36-37]. Nasiriddin Nazarov, the
author of several books and articles about the Uzbeks of Afghanistan and Ibrahimbek, notes that
Amir Sayyid Alimkhan offered Ibrahimbek to stay in his fortress and allocated one thousand five
hundred rupees per month from his own account. Also, since Ibrahimbek's people and a large
number of his men gathered in Aliabad (Aylabad) in the Kunduz region, at Ibrahimbek's request,
the Afghan ruler Amonullah Khan allocated 16,900 acres of grassland and mountainous land to
Ibrahimbek's people and men from the upper part of the village of Lolamaydon above Aliabad.
This four thousand hectare area was called "Shikorgohi laqayho", and since most of the land
there was mountainous, Ibrahimbek's men hunted. ...When Ibrahimbek came to the north in 1929,
he lived in this area for a certain period of time [4,B.66]. In his book about Ibrahimbek, N.
Nazarov, in addition to detailing other commanders and unit leaders who went to Afghanistan
with him, mentions that local Uzbeks and Tajiks from Afghanistan sent twenty-five commanders
and hundreds of young men to Ibrahimbek's disposal, and describes these commanders one by
one [5, P.333-338].
We will briefly analyze Ibrahimbek's activities in Afghanistan. In 1928, uprisings against Emir
Amanullah Khan (reigned 1919-1929) intensified in Afghanistan. This rebellion was led by
Habibullah Khan - Bachai Sakka, a former officer of the Afghan army, born into a Tajik peasant
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family near Kabul. On January 18, 1929, Habibullah's detachment, consisting mainly of peasants,
captured Kabul. Habibullah Khan was proclaimed the Emir of Afghanistan (January-October
1929). At the end of 1928, Ibrahimbek left Kabul and arrived in Northern Afghanistan, where he
began to consolidate his position. This territory had long been the land of Turkic peoples, mainly
inhabited by Uzbeks, Turkmens, and Tajiks. After the alliance between Ibrahimbek and the
leader of the Turkmen emigrants, Khalifa Eshon, his authority increased significantly[1,B.37-41].
After the struggles with the government of Muhammad Nodir Shah (reigned: 1929-1933),
Ibrahimbek announced the end of the Afghan regime in the regions of Qataghan and Badakhshan
and the establishment of independent Uzbek and Tajik states[6,B.12]. The Afghan ruler Nodir
Shah (reigned: 1929-1933) ordered Shah Mahmud Khan, the Minister of War of the government,
to suppress the emigrants' rebellion led by Ibrahimbek. In the winter of 1930-1931 ... he fought a
fierce battle with Ibrahimbek[7,B.116]. At this point, it can be said that the troops of the former
USSR crossed the Afghan border twice during this period. First, in order to maintain the power
of Amanullah Khan, in order to fight against Habibullah Khan (Bachai Sakka) and, most
importantly, his allies Khalifa Eshon and Ibrahimbek, who were considered to be opposing
forces, the second time in June 1930 they launched a military attack directly on Ibrahimbek's
headquarters in Aliabad. As a result, in response, from the beginning of 1931 Ibrahimbek
activated his movement and reunited the scattered forces of the emigrants. In March 1931,
Ibrahimbek and his other commanders crossed the border of the USSR and set foot on the soil of
the Motherland. After continuous battles between Soviet soldiers and the detachments of the
commander-in-chief led by Ibrahimbek, due to the imbalance of forces, on June 12, 1931, in the
last and fierce battle at Akbashtog, he was wounded and retreated to Babatog. On June 23, 1931,
Ibrahimbek was captured wounded by soldiers of the 2nd division of the 10th cavalry regiment
of the OGPU troops and Soviet Chekists [1, B.37-41].
Ibrahimbek was immediately taken first to Stalinabad (now Dushanbe), and then to Tashkent.
Even the interrogation and terrible torture by the Chekists could not break Ibrahimbek's spiritual
will. At the trial in March 1932, he proudly emphasized that he had fought a long and
courageous struggle against the hated Soviet regime. The last major leader of the independence
fighters, Ibrahimbek Chaqaboy oglu, was executed by a military tribunal on August 31, 1932
[1,B.41].
The figure of Ibrahimbek is not only a fighter for independence and freedom for Turkistanis, but
also an important factor in ensuring the unity of the Turkic peoples in Afghanistan, and for a
certain period played an important role in the understanding of the identity of the Turkic peoples,
including the Uzbek ethnos.
During the struggle for independence, we can cite information about many commanders who,
after fierce battles, crossed into neighboring Afghanistan or returned to their homeland and
continued the struggle. One of these is Otanbek, from the Qabadiyon principality in Eastern
Bukhara, from the Kungirat people of the Uzbeks. He led the commander-in-chief's detachments
mainly in the regions of Eastern Bukhara and conducted successful military operations against
the Bolsheviks. Highly respected by Ibrahimbek, Otanbek was responsible for controlling the
border area with Afghanistan along the Qabadiyon, Shahrituz, Jarkurgan, and Termez directions.
Otanbek was also with Ibrahimbek in military operations in Afghanistan, ensuring Ibrahimbek's
successes due to his courage and superior military tactics [5, B.353-356]. After Ibrahimbek
moved to the territory of the USSR to continue the freedom struggle, he became the leader of the
main fighting commander-in-chief's groups in the actions against the oppression of the Afghan
emigrants by the government of Nodir Shah.
Abdukayum Parvanachi Ulayev, who held a high position in the Baljuvan bey, formed the first
armed group of lackeys, and Ibrahimbek joined it as a young man. He was considered
Ibrahimbek's father-in-law, and after being wounded in one of the battles, he entrusted the
leadership of the army to his son-in-law. After recovering, he led a number of complex
operations as an advisor to Ibrahimbek in a number of responsible positions. Abdukayum
Parvanachi was also with Ibrahimbek in Afghanistan, and after crossing into Soviet territory, he
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was appointed head of the Hissar lackeys in Baljuvan. While seeking an opportunity to reach an
agreement with the Soviets to prevent the punishment of immigrant families returning from
Afghanistan, he was captured by the Chekists. In August 1932, he was sentenced to be shot in
Tashkent by a military tribunal together with Ibrahimbek[5,B.343-344].
As the elder and ideological leader of Isakhon Eshon Ibrahimbek of Samarkand, he occupied a
key position in military operations. He was arrested and imprisoned by the Soviets several times
because he was an active leader in political and armed movements against the Bolsheviks in the
eastern Bukhara region. In the second half of the 1920s, he moved to Afghanistan. In
Afghanistan, he served as a leader and governor by appointment of Ibrahimbek. After returning
home, he continued the struggle as a leader and was also appointed as Ibrahimbek's deputy. In
the summer of 1931, at the invitation of Ibrahimbek, he surrendered to the Reds and was shot in
Tashkent in August 1932 in the ranks of the Sixteenth Army [5, B.347-348].
N. Nazarov provides information about more than forty commanders and military leaders who
led the struggle for independence against the Bolsheviks in the Ibrahimbek group and separately
in Afghanistan and the former emirate. In particular, the activities of Egamberdi Batyr, Ibrahim
Umbarov (Ibrayim galli), Alimardon Dodhoh, Ko'gen Toqsoba Sheraliyev, Alet Dodhoh, Ortik
Dodhoh, Ernazar Kazakh, Ko'ganbek Kenjayev, Tashmat Dodhoh, Karaboy, Abdukadir Inok,
Mulla Niyoz Parvanachi, Khaliullin, Mulla Jo'ra, Turdinazar, Mulla Ahmed biy, Boynazar
Dodhoh, Shohasan, Mirza Sadriddin, Mirza Salih Inok, Mulla Rayimkul, Annakul, Ravshan
Sarikhonov and many others are covered [5,B.335-353].
The researcher also notes that local Uzbeks and Tajiks from Afghanistan, based on their
ethnogenetic proximity, tried to have a positive relationship with immigrant Uzbeks. In particular,
he emphasizes that local Uzbeks provided Ibrahimbek’s army with great military and food
assistance. He states that local Uzbeks and Tajiks sent Ibrahimbek twenty-five commanders and
hundreds of young men, and lists seventeen of them with a larger force by name and the number
of young men. For example, Mulla Imamqul - from the Qatagons, Ishkashim, had 400 young
men; Rustam Batir - from the Mughal clan of Uzbeks, from Tolikan, had 400 young men;
Arziqul - from the Qangli clan of Uzbeks, from Aybek near Mazar-i-Sharif, had 300 young men;
Mulla Latif - from the Qatagans, from Jibirbulak near Naryn, had 200 young men; Mulla Sultan -
from the Qatagans, from Siyat, had 150 young men; Shaqul Khoja - from the Tajiks, from Chulul
near Naryn, had 100 young men; Mulla Abdusamat - from the Qatagans, from Bangi, had 100
young men; Khalmamet - from the Qatagans, from the Taliqan area, had 100 young men; Mulla
Abdushukur - from the Qatagans, from Taliqan, had 100 young men; Aqmurat - from the
Qatagans, from Rustaq, had 100 young men; Imamnazar Palvan - from the Mughal tribe of
Uzbeks, from Badakhshan, had 100 young men; Mulla Imamyar - from the Qangli tribe of
Uzbeks; From Dalam near Mazar-i-Sharif, he had 100 young men; Mulla Abdukarim - from the
Uzbek Qangli clan; from Qaraboyin near Mazar-i-Sharif, he had 100 young men; Mandarachi - a
Tajik, from Shir near Ishkashim, he had 100 young men; Boboi Niholband - a Tajik, from
Tolikan, he had 100 young men; Bori - from the Qatagans, from Hazarqog, he had 50 young men;
Holmuhammed - from the Qatagans, from Jibirbulok, he had 50 young men[5,B.333-334].
Also, during Ibrahimbek's transition from Afghanistan to Soviet territory, Arzikul and Boboyi
Niholband remained in Afghanistan with about 500 of their young men [5, B.358].
CONCLUSION.
We are convinced from the analysis that in the 20-30s of the 20th century, the
entire territory of Turkestan was covered by the armed movement of the leaders who fought to
liberate it from the Bolshevik invaders and the representatives of the independence struggle who
followed them. They were condemned as representatives of the "suppression" movement due to
the ideological approach of the Soviet Union to our history. In fact, all the independence fighters
fought for the freedom and independence of their homeland. After fierce and long-lasting
struggles, most of the leaders' detachments were forced to move to the territory of neighboring
Afghanistan. One such leader is Muhammad Ibrahimbek Lakai. He continued the struggle for the
freedom of his homeland even after moving to Afghanistan. Here, he also conducted sometimes
friendly and sometimes conflicting actions with the local Afghan government. His leader,
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Ibrahimbek, became a figure who fought for the freedom of his homeland, no matter where he
was.
REFERENCES
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Persian, author of the introduction and comments – Abdusodiq Irisov. – Tashkent, “Fan”
publishing house. – 1991, 21 – p.
3. Hayitov Sh.A. The history of Uzbek emigration (1917-1991). – Tashkent, “ABU MATBUOT
KONSALT”. – 2008. – 208 p.
4. Nazarov N. Uzbeks of Afghanistan. - Tashkent, 2011. – 127 p.
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author of the preface and some comments on behalf of the translator – prof. H.Turaev) – Bukhara:
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