25. The second invasion of Afghanistan in 1878 was just as devastating.
In 1878, for reasons similar to those in the 1830s, the British again invaded Afghanistan using Indian troops, intent on creating a buffer state between Russia and India. When the Afghanis welcomed a Russian diplomatic mission but refused a British, the invasion was launched. Britain forced the Afghanis to cede territory along the Indian border, and though they guaranteed Afghanistan its freedom. The British assumed all foreign relations responsibilities for the nation, in effect, making it part of the British Empire. Although the British troops withdrew from Afghanistan following the war in 1881, they remained as garrisons in the ceded territories.
