Siege of Mirpur
| Siege of Mirpur | |||||||||
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| Part of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 and Kashmir conflict | |||||||||
Mirpur on a map | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Azad Army Supported by Pakistan | |||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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Jammu and Kashmir State Forces
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| Strength | |||||||||
| Two infantry battalions | ≈ 610–560 men | ||||||||
The siege of Mirpur was a military operation initiated by the Azad Kashmir Regular Force against the garrison of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in the city of Mirpur. It began on 15 October 1947, during the First Kashmir War, with the objective of capturing the city in support of its accession to Pakistan.
Following the capture of Bhimber, the Azad Army considered it necessary to seize Mirpur and neutralize the threat posed by the Jammu and Kashmir state forces stationed there. By 15 October, the Azad forces had come under attack from the Mirpur and Poonch garrisons, and some Muslim troops reportedly defected from the state forces to join the Azad forces.
The outer defensive posts of Mirpur were eliminated, and communication with the Mangla Mai fort was severed. The Azad Army rapidly mobilized its forces before the Indian Army could intervene, while the state forces maintained their positions, awaiting reinforcements. Khan Muhammad Khan and Captain Afzal led the effort to dismantle the outposts and launched an assault on the town. However, they withdrew due to heavy shelling and continuous strafing by the Indian Air Force.
In the meantime, tribesmen and volunteers from Poonch arrived to assist the Azad Army, bringing captured ammunition and three-inch mortars.
On 24 November, the Azad Army launched an offensive and overran the post in the southwestern part of the city. After six hours of combat, the state forces' resistance collapsed.
Due to dwindling ammunition supplies, the senior officers of the Jammu and Kashmir state forces decided to abandon the city and evacuate civilians to a safer location. At Mangla Mai, the garrison held out against the Azad forces for one month and twenty days, until the fort' gate was destroyed by sustained bombardment. The garrison, now encircled, capitulated.
With the fall of Mirpur tehsil, the route to Jhangar became unsecured, and military operations in Kotli tehsil continued thereafter. On 25 May 1949, prisoners from the Jammu and Kashmir state forces were repatriated after being held at Ali Beg for ten months.