Urtatagai conflict (1913)

{{Short description|Border conflict between Afghanistan and the Russian Empire}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}

{{For|the 1925–1926 border conflict|Urtatagai conflict (1925–1926)}}

{{Multiple issues|{{More citations needed|date=August 2019}}{{notability|1=Events|date=August 2019}}}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = Urtatagai conflict

| place = Urta Tagay

| date = November – December 1913

| combatant1 = {{flag|Russian Empire}}

| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Emirate of Afghanistan|1919}}

| commander1 = Nicholas II

| commander2 = Habibullah Khan

| result =

| territory = Status quo ante bellum

• Afghan forces occupy the island but later withdraw after agreement

| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Conflicts in Afghanistan (1793–1973)}}

}}

The Urtatagai conflict was a conflict between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Russian Empire over control of the island of Urta Tagay, which took place 1913.{{Cite journal|last=Panin|first=Sergei Borisovich|date=1999-09-01|title=The Soviet‐Afghan conflict of 1925–26 over the Island of Urta‐Tugai|url=https://www.academia.edu/30075200|journal=The Journal of Slavic Military Studies|volume=12|issue=3|pages=122–133|doi=10.1080/13518049908430405|issn=1351-8046|quote=In 1913, after the large island of Urta-Tugai (on the Panj River) merged with the Afghan bank, the Afghans took advantage of this existing situation and sent their forces to the island, resulting in a border conflict.}} It began in November,{{Cite book|url=https://www.academia.edu/31332412|title=Россия и Афганистан, 1905-1918|last=Panin|first=S.|year=1995|pages=53, 54, 55, 56}} when Afghan troops were deployed on Urtatagai after it had merged with the Afghan bank, placing it within Afghan territory. Sometime later, the flow of the river once again separated the island, and on an agreement on 13 December at Ashgabat, the Afghan leadership agreed to return the island, ending the conflict.