Capture of Mila

In a battle near the ancient city of Mila, Abu Abdullah emerged victorious over the troops loyal to the Aghlabids, who were supported by the Injana tribe. Following a brief siege of the city, Mila surrendered, and its chieftains were executed. Abu Abdullah then appointed Yusuf ibn Maknun as his governor in Mila.^[2] It was only after this battle that Abu Abdullah al-Shi'i finally gained the upper hand against the Aghlabids.^[3]

After this, the Aghlabid Emir Ibrahim II became alarmed by Abu Abdullah's growing influence in his territories and sent him a letter demanding that he cease his activities, threatening to attack him. But, Abu Abdullah was not intimidated and rejected the emir's letter. Instead, he outlined his objectives and urged the emir to obey God, adhere to his teachings, and submit to Imam al-Mahdi. Abu Abdullah also made it clear that he was prepared to confront the Aghlabid emir if he chose to attack^[4] However, Abu Abdullah suffered a defeat at Mila later that same year, where his occupation lasted only a few months. He was subsequently forced to retreat to Ikjan near Setif. But Abu Abdullah renewed his offensive, successfully capturing Setif in 904 and taking Mila back along the way. ^[5][6]