the army was attacked from the rear by a party of 2,000 wild-eyed ghazis (holy warriors) on horseback. Soon after dawn they appeared on the heights behind the camp carrying the green flags of jihad. As bugles sounded the alarm, the foremost of the jihadis managed to ride over the defensive ditches straight into the middle of Shah Shuja’s part of the camp, screaming “Allah hu-Akbar!” and fighting with suicidal bravery until they were surrounded.
