during the third anglo-afghan war of 1919 the afghan general nadir khan moved into the kurram valley, cutting the thall to parachinar road, and induced numbers of zaimukht and orakzai to join him. to relieve thall, a british force advanced from jalalabad, and nadir khan was obliged to withdraw after four days. during the time that the kurram militia were cut off, they gave an excellent account of themselves, not only defending the valley, but also occupying vantage points, which later acted as stepping stones for further operations against the afghans. after their relief, they captured the afghan post at amir thana. the commander-in-chief, india, in his dispatches described the conduct of the kurram militia as "deserving of highest praise". members of the kurram militia received three awards of the indian order of merit, and one indian distinguished service medal.