In 947, the Fatimid caliph al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah sent al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi to subdue a revolt on Sicily, where he would go on to establish his own ruling dynasty, the Kalbids.
[2][3] During the summer of the same year, Abu'l-Qasim crossed back to mainland Italy, where he quickly forced tribute out of St. Agatha and took and razed Taranto.
He then sent one army to Otranto while he besieged Gravina, before retiring to Muslim lands for the year, bringing home hundreds of captives as slaves.
[3] In May 982, Abu'l-Qasim returned to Italy hoping to confront the advancing German emperor Otto II.
[2] Around Rossano Calabro, Abu'l-Qasim spotted the German army and realized that he had hugely underestimated its size.