[1][citation needed] Habib eventually returned to North Africa, and became one of the leading commanders of the Ifriqiyan army, particularly during the tenure of Ubayd Allah ibn al-Habhab as governor of Ifriqiya from 734.
[citation needed] In 735, Habib ibn Abi Ubaida led the Arab armies in the conquest of the Sous valley of southern Morocco, bringing the Moroccan hinterlands more firmly within the Umayyad Caliphate.
[2][citation needed] In early 740, Habib headed a large Arab expedition to Sicily, in what was possibly the first attempt at a full-scale invasion of the island (rather than a mere raid).
Bewildered and angry, Habib let his fury fall on Musa ibn Abi Khalid, an Umayyad captain who had bravely stayed behind collecting loyal forces.
[citation needed] Collecting what remained of the Umayyad army in Ifriqiya, Habib ibn Abi Ubaida entrenched himself in a defensive line in the vicinity of Tlemcen (or perhaps as far back as Tahert) and appealed to Kairouan for reinforcements.
The Syrian cavalry, under Kulthum's nephew, Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri, was the first to arrive in Kairouan and they imposed themselves on the city, billeting troops, requisitioning supplies, and threatening its inhabitants.
Angered by the reports, Habib fired off a heated missive to Kulthum, threatening to turn his own army against the Syrians if he did not curb his nephew and put an end to the abuses in Kairouan.
Balj immediately brought up the issue of the threats Habib had made in his heated letter, and demanded that his uncle Kulthum ibn Iyad arrest the Ifriqiyan commander for treason.
[citation needed] The joint Syrian-Ifriqiyan army clashed with the Berber rebels at the Battle of Bagdoura, by the Sebou river (near modern Fez) in October 741.
[citation needed] The Ifriqiyan remnant fled in a scattered manner back to Kairouan, while the remainder of the Syrian army, held together by Balj ibn Bishr, scampered to Ceuta and secured passage over to al-Andalus.