Though Saragarhi was usually manned by a platoon of 40 soldiers, on the battle day, it was being held by only 21 soldiers from 36th Sikh (now 4 Sikh) and a non-combatant called Daad, a Pashtun who did odd jobs for the troops.On 12 September 1897, an estimated 12,000 – 24,000 Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen attacked the outpost of Saragarhi, cutting off Fort Gulistan from Fort Lockhart.Saragarhi helped to link up the two important forts which housed a large number of British troops in the rugged terrain of NWFP.The two forts in the rugged North West Frontier Province (NWFP) were built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh but renamed by the British.Saragarhi was the communication tower between Fort Lockhart and Fort Gulistan. The Battle of Saragarhi was a last-stand battle fought before the Tirah Campaign between the British Raj and Afghan tribesmen.In news- September 12 marked the 124th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi.
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