Saud controlled the regions of Al-Ahsa and Qatif, territories that had been wrested from Imam Abdullah bin Faisal.

[3] The campaign departed Basra on April 20, comprising five infantry columns, a cavalry division and artillery units under the command of Lieutenant General Naser Pasha.

Muhammad Saeed Effendi, son of the captain of supervision in Basra, also joined the commander in the expedition.

The fleet arrived at Ras Tanura on May 13, 1871, coinciding with the Ottoman infantry’s land march towards Al-Ahsa.

For his significant contributions to the campaign, Sheikh Abdullah II Al-Sabah the ruler of Kuwait was bestowed the honorific title of Kaymakam by the Ottoman authorities.