The source-backed, question-specific record explains: The Battle of Maiwand (July 27 1880) was a significant British defeat during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Ayub Khan's Afghan forces defeated British forces under Brigadier Burrows near Kandahar. The British suffered about 1000 casualties. This evidence establishes the historical relationship required in this Important Battles item. A correct solution must preserve the exact battle, date, participants, commander, location, outcome or significance requested by the stem. Similar periods, genres or national traditions do not make two battle facts interchangeable. Option A gives Ayub Khan's forces and satisfies every condition stated in the question. The remaining choices—Sher Ali's forces, Dost Mohammad's forces and Abdur Rahman's forces—do not satisfy the complete requirement. The reliable checking method is to identify the named battle first, recall or verify its verified participant or outcome, and then read qualifiers such as “both works,” “original language,” “first published,” “correctly matched” or “incorrectly matched.” These qualifiers determine what counts as the answer. Replaying that method for this Important Battles question confirms Ayub Khan's forces without relying on option position.
