Seeing this as a threat to India, Britain prepared for war but both sides backed down and the matter was settled diplomatically, with the Russians and Afghans exchanging territories.

The incident halted further Russian expansion in Asia, except for the Pamir Mountains, and resulted in the definition of the north-western border of Afghanistan.

Most of Turkmenistan is desert but irrigation supports a fairly dense population on the north slope of the Kopet Dag (Geok Tepe and Ashgabat).

The Hari-Rud flows north along the modern Iranian border, enters Turkmenistan and spreads out forming the Tejend oasis before drying up in the desert.

The Murghab flows north through what is now Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, reaches Yoloten and spreads out, forming the Merv oasis.

General Komarov, governor of the Transcaspian Oblast, went south to Serakhs and expelled a Persian garrison on the east side of the Hari-Rud.

Later, they occupied the pass or canyon at Zulfikar and a place called Ak Robat about 50 mi (80 km) to the east.

On the east side, the Sarik Turkomans of Yoloten submitted to the Russians in May 1884 but their kinsmen at Panjdeh refused, saying that they were subjects of the Amir of Kabul.

[9] That's what he reported to St. Petersburg:"The complete victory once again covered the troops of the Sovereign Emperor in Central Asia with great glory.

The insolence of the Afghans forced me, in order to maintain the honor and dignity of Russia, to attack their heavily fortified positions on both banks of the Kushka River on March 18.

The crisis was partly averted by the initiative of Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan, who was then at Rawalpindi engaged in talks with the British.

Having no desire to see two foreign armies fighting in his country, when told of Panjdeh, he pretended to regard it as a mere border skirmish.

[14][19][20] After the battle, Komarov was awarded a gold weapon with diamonds for "Bravery" and received a personal thanks from Alexander III.

[14] The battle became the reason for the beginning of the short-term Afghan crisis [ru] between Russia and the United Kingdom, the British very recognized the conquest of Panjdeh by Komarov, and the Russian government made concessions to Afghanistan.

[21] Tensions between Russia and Britain eased when the Russian foreign minister Nikolay Girs and the ambassador to London Baron de Staal set up an agreement in 1887 that established a buffer zone in Central Asia.