[2] The emir was powerless to repel those raids by himself, thus the British maintained a military base, with a small air force, at Marka, close to Amman.

The British military, which was the primary obstacle against the Ikhwan, and was also incorporated to help Emir Abdullah with the suppression of local rebellions at Kura and later by Sultan Adwan.

[2] Dangerously exposed to the Wahhabi raids from Arabia, Emir Abdullah had no intention of alienating Sultan Adwan, even if he did pay a special attention to Bani Sakher.

[2] The new generation of urban intellectuals had been growing increasingly envious of the Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians, who monopolized key positions of Transjordanian government and administration.

In August 1923, Sultan arrived in Amman at the head of an armed demonstration, openly backing popular demands for a constitutional, parliamentary government and pressure the emir for some urgent economic issues, but actually showing "who were the real masters of the Balqa region" (i.e. the Adwan and not Bani Sakher).

[2] However, Abdullah decided that the show of defiance of established authority could not go unpunished and Mustafa Wahbi Tal and many other intellectual and political figures who had backed Sultan, were arrested and accused of conspiracy against the state.