Dost Mohammad Khan, the ruler of the Emirate of Afghanistan, sought to take advantage of the anarchy and chaos, and conquer Kandahar for himself.

[6][7] Upon hearing this, Dost Mohammad dispatched Sher Ali from Ghazni to Qalat, also sending Sardar Haidar Khan from Kabul with an army.

[6] As Dost Mohammad marched past the citadel, his forces were harassed by Mihrdil Khan's artillery, leading to heavy casualties.

Once Dost Mohammad reached a place out of range from Mihrdil Khan's cannons, he established camp and ordered his men to take positions on the hill.

Dost Mohammad also accepted a proposal by Haidar Khan to destroy the citadel of Qalat, but later planned to rebuild it when the opportunity came.

[7] On 21 July 1855, Kohandil Khan died, sparking a succession crisis and eventually a civil war, which allowed Dost Mohammad to capitalize off of the instability and launch a campaign to conquer the region.

Dost Mohammad did not believe these letters, and even learned from further reports that Rahmdil Khan was incapable of ruling, with anarchy prevailing inside the city.

[3] Dost Mohammad began to silence critics by imprisoning religious dignitaries, notably Sahibzada Gudri, Qazi Ghulam, and Akhundzada Azizullah.

[12] In a letter sent to Mirakhor Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Saddiq threatened to give the city of Farah to the Persians unless his demands were met.

Saddiq Khan demanded that his former Jagir was restored to his governorship, and that aid would be given in rebuilding the fort of Mahmudabad, along with 500 houses that were demolished by Dost Mohammad.

[13] Despite the support, Muhammad Saddiq Khan was defeated by Jalal al-Din on 30 October, four days after the fall of Herat to the Persians.

[13] With the conquest of Kandahar, Dost Mohammad Khan had significantly expanded his realm from the past 15 years from just Kabul and surrounding environs to now include cities like Balkh, and Sheberghan.