Tirah

Tirah, mountainous tract in west-central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It lies on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border between the Khyber Pass and Khanki Valley, northwest of Kohat town. It is inhabited mainly by Afrīdī and Ōrakzay Pashtun tribes. Tirah comprises a rugged area of 600–700 square miles (1,550–1,800 square km), watered by the Mastura (one of the main tributaries of the Bara River), the Khanki, and the Khurmana rivers, all of which rise within a few miles of Mount Mitta (12,470 feet [3,801 metres]) in the Spin Range. At Mount Mitta the Spin Range splits into several branches, between which lie the valleys of Tirah at elevations of 5,000–7,000 feet (1,500–2,100 metres).

Tirah was the scene of the campaign (1897–98) in which the Afrīdī rose in a jihad (holy war) against the British, captured the Khyber posts, and attacked forts near Peshawar. In the hardest campaign since the Second Afghan War, 40,000 British and Indian troops were sent to Tirah. The main body of troops stormed Dargai, overran all of Tirah, and retook the Khyber posts without opposition.