 A contingent of troops was sent to Qasr ibn Hubayrah further down the Euphrates and awaited orders to advance.Meanwhile, an army of over a thousand men was raised in Baghdad and put under the command of al-Husayn b. Isma'il, who was instructed to head directly to the town and defeat the Samarran garrison stationed there.After a delay caused by an issue with the troops' pay, the army departed in late June.