 In the event of war, the "ahdath" militias, based in the cities under the command of the "ra’is" (chief), and who were usually ethnic Arabs, were called upon to increase the number of troops.The "ahdath" militia, though less well trained than the Turkish professional troops, were often very strongly motivated by religion, especially the concept of "jihad".Further support came from Turkoman and Kurdish auxiliaries, who could be called upon in times of war, though these forces were prone to indiscipline.