Amanullah loyalism refers to several historical movements in the Kingdom of Afghanistan to restore Amanullah Khan as king of Afghanistan after he was deposed in January 1929 during the Afghan Civil War. Loyalists were sometimes referred to as Amanite. Loyalists tried to achieve this in various ways, including armed rebellions, political parties, colluding with foreign powers and assassinations. These movements were unsuccessful, and Amanullah died in exile in 1960 in Zürich, Switzerland without ever regaining control, other than a brief period of control in southern Afghanistan in the 1929 Afghan Civil War.
In March 1929, during the 1929 Afghan Civil War, Amanullah assembled an army in Kandahar made up of Durrani, Khattak, Ghilzai and Hazarah fighters. However, his attempt to march on Kabul was unsuccessful, and he retreated to Qalat, where he fell under a Saqqawist siege on 19 May. On 23 May, Qalat fell to the Saqqawists and Amanullah fled to the British Raj.
The Shinwari rebellion was a rebellion by the Shinwari that took place in February or May 1930 in the Kingdom of Afghanistan. The Shinwari sought to depose Mohammed Nadir Shah and restore Amanullah Khan as king of Afghanistan. Due to lack of support by Shinwari elders, the rebellion was promptly suppressed. The Shinwari's support for Amanullah in 1930 apparently contradicted their earlier revolt against Amanullah in 1928. During this rebellion, the Shinwari claimed that the earlier revolt was "not so much anti-Amanullah as against the local tax-collectors at Jelalabad".
Kuhistan rebellion
The Kuhistan rebellion was a rebellion in modern-day Kohistan District, Kapisa which took place in 1930 in the Kingdom of Afghanistan. It began in February 1930, when rebels seeking to restore Amanullah Khan as King of Afghanistan broke out in open rebellion against Mohammed Nadir Shah. After killing many, the rebellion was crushed in mid-April 1930.
Crazy Fakir's rebellion
Towards the end of February 1933, a "Crazy Fakir" appeared in the Khost district in the south of Afghanistan, proclaiming that the ex-king Amanullah will soon arrive. At his instigation a number of tribesmen took arms with the intention of marching on Kabul, and they received considerable reinforcements from the Wazir and Mahsud tribes across the Indian border. They met the government troops which were sent south to oppose them in the neighbourhood of Matun, and some sharp fighting takes place at the end of February and beginning of March. The tribesmen from across the border then began to withdraw at the bidding of some of their elders who were sent by the British authorities to recall them, and the uprising soon came to an end. Later in the year one of the ringleaders, Tor Malang, was executed with some of his associates, but the "Crazy Fakir", who fled abroad, is allowed to return with the assurance of a free pardon, on account of his advanced age.
Ghilzai rebellion
The Ghilzai rebellion was an uprising in the Kingdom of Afghanistan by the Ghilzai tribe in 1938. Its causes laid in a desire to reinstate Amanullah Khan as king of Afghanistan. A relative of Amanullah, Said al-Kailani, also known as the Shami Pir marched on Kabul with an unknown amount of Ghilzai warriors. There are 2 accounts as to how the rebellion ended - according to British records, the rebellion was defeated in the summer of 1938 by the Afghan army using British-supplied rifles. According to Harvey Smith, the rebellion ended after the British bought off Shami Pir following frantic appeals by the Afghan government. In either case, this rebellion prompted the Prime Minister, Mohammad Hashim Khan, to increase subsidies for Pashtun tribes near the Durand line.
Mazrak's revolt
In February 1944, Mazrak Zadran, an Amanullah loyalist, led an ambush against government troops in the Southern province, after which he was beaten back and forced to retreat into the hills. He continued to fight the Afghan government for the following years. In late 1944, he invaded the British Raj, where he was joined by a Sultan Ahmed, a rebel chieftain from Balochistan. They were later joined by another rebel leader nicknamed Pak. However, Mazrak's fortunes were not to last. He was evicted from British territory due to British bombardment. In October 1945, most Safi surrendered, followed by the surrender of Sultan Ahmad in November. Nonetheless, Mazrak and his brother Sher Muhd Khan continued to fight, refusing to surrender until 11 January 1947.
Political parties
Anti-Yahya Khel Party
The Anti-Yahya Khel Party was a small loyalist political party which was briefly active in 1933. Members of the movement opposed the Musahiban dynasty for political reasons or out of personal spite. In this case, Yahya Khel refers to an alternative name for the Musahiban.
During World War II, some press in the west reported that Amanullah was working as an agent for Nazi Germany in Berlin. It is believed he was involved in plans to regain his throne with Axis help, despite Afghanistan's neutrality. However following the Axis loss in Stalingrad in 1943, the plans cooled off and were never executed.
Assassinations
Assassination of Mohammed Nadir Shah
In November 1933, Mohammed Nadir Shah was assassinated by Abdul Khaliq Hazara, a supporter of Amanullah.
