Editing Operations against the Marri and Khetran tribes (section)

== Punitive expedition ==
[[File:Sir Richard Wapshare.png|thumb|Major-General Richard Wapshare]]
[[File:Dera Ghazi Khan field force river crossing.jpg|thumb|Men of Miles' column cross a river near Dera Ghazi Khan]]
The attacks on Kohlu caused the British to consider sending a [[punitive expedition]] to punish the Marri and Khetran tribes and such an expedition was ordered by the Government of India on 28 February.<ref name=gaz3586/><ref name=18report3/>  Major-General [[Richard Wapshare]] was placed in overall command of the expedition and gathered troops to form two columns; one at [[Duki District|Duki]] under Brigadier-General [[Thomas Henry Hardy]] and one at [[Rakhni]] under Brigadier-General [[Philip Miles (Indian Army officer)|Philip Miles]].  Miles' column was also known as the [[Dera Ghazi Khan]] column after the district that it operated in.<ref name=gaz3586>{{harvnb|London Gazette supplement 31235|page=3586|ref=gazette31235}}</ref>  The whole was known as the Marri Punitive Expedition or the Marri Field Force.<ref name=arty>{{harvnb|Graham|1957|p=202}}</ref><ref name=cardozo>{{harvnb|Cardozo|2019|p=183}}</ref>  The British were initially underequipped for an operation in Marri territory, lacking tents they had to improvise [[Bivouac shelter|bivouac]]s against the cold and rain.  Towards the end of the campaign the weather grew hot and the force endured conditions of {{convert|110|F|C}} in the shade.<ref name=gaz3587/>

Miles' column included infantry from the [[55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)|55th Coke's Rifles]] and was reinforced by the [[23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)|Peshawar Battery]] of the Indian Mountain Artillery under Major EG Campbell on 9 March.<ref name=arty/>   Detachments of these units advanced to Fort Munro on 13 March where, two days later, they were attacked by a force of 3,000 Marri and Khetrans, armed largely with swords.<ref name=18report3/><ref name=gaz3586/><ref name=arty/> The Marri occupied a number of bungalows as well as a hill overlooking the British position.<ref name=arty/>  An attack made by two companies of Coke's Rifles, with supporting artillery fire at a range of {{convert|1700|yd|m}}, cleared the bungalows.  The hill was cleared with artillery fire alone, some 32 shells being sufficient to cause the Marri to withdraw.<ref name=arty/>  Marri losses in this action were 21 killed and wounded.<ref name=gaz3586/>

Miles, whose column was around [[brigade]] strength, advanced the {{convert|50|mi|km}} to Barkhan, the capture of which effectively ended Khetran involvement in the fighting.<ref name=18report3/><ref name=arty/>  Miles afterwards moved around {{convert|18|mi|km}} south-west to [[Vitakri]], meeting no opposition.<ref name=arty/>  The majority of Khetrans formally submitted to the British by 3 April and Miles' force withdrew to Dera Ghazi Khan on 20 April.<ref name=gazette/><ref name=arty/>

Hardy's column advanced through Marri-held territory burning their villages and crops and driving off livestock.<ref name=18report53/>  He reached Kohlu on 23 March, having met no resistance.<ref name=18report3/>  On 3 April Hardy's column reached [[Hadb]] where they met a force of 1,200 Marri, which were attacked and forced to retreat after losing 70–80 men killed and 100 wounded.<ref name=gaz3586/><ref name=18report53/>   The next day Hardy moved on [[Maiwand, Pakistan|Maiwand]], by which time he considered that the main threat was over and the Marri limited to only minor raids against his men.<ref name=18report3/><ref name=gazette>{{harvnb|The Gazette|1918|p=1|ref=thegazette}}</ref>

The [[Royal Flying Corps]], despite being hindered by poor weather, engine problems and mountainous terrain, operated with Hardy's column carrying out bombing and strafing attacks and aerial reconnaissance up to {{convert|20|mi|km}} in advance of the British forces.<ref name=gaz3587>{{harvnb|London Gazette supplement 31235|page=3587|ref=gazette31235}}</ref>  The unit's commander, Captain George Roulston Travis, during a bombing raid was forced to land in Marri-held territory and walk the {{convert|21|mi|km}} to Hardy's column; he was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his contributions to the campaign.<ref name=plate>{{harvnb|Review of the River Plate|1921|p=763 |ref=plate}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|London Gazette supplement 31378|page=7032|ref=gazette31378}}</ref>  Travis' unit repeatedly bombed the Marri capital [[Kahan]] with nine [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.3]] aircraft, which helped induce the surrender of the tribe.<ref name=air>{{harvnb|Concepts Division of the Aerospace Studies Institute|1962|p=12}}</ref>  Hardy occupied Kahan without resistance and on 8 April Khair Bux Mari surrendered, marking the formal end of the British combat operations.<ref name=battles/><ref name=18report3/><ref name=gaz3586/>  The surrender was reported in the international press on 22 April and formally announced at Kahan on 2 May and at Barkhan on 7 May.<ref>{{harvnb|Malaya Tribune|1918|p=5|ref=malaya}}</ref><ref name=gaz3587/>