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===Shah Shuja and the First Anglo Afghan War (1839–1842)===
{{main|First Anglo-Afghan War}}

In the 19th century as a whole, [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] and [[Russian Empire|Russia]] were interlocked in a battle for influence in South Asia. Russian advance was trudging through Central Asia, while the British were landing in the masses on the Indian subcontinent. The "Army of the Indus", full of both British and Indian infantrymen and cavalrymen, was intent on restoring [[Shah Shuja Durrani]], the deposed monarch to the throne of Afghanistan. By March 1839, the British had already crossed into the [[Emirate of Kabul|Emirate of Afghanistan]].