allowed Dost Mohammad to return his concerns to Turkestan once again to begin his conquest north of the Hindu Kush. In the spring of 1849, Akram Khan was sent to Bamiyan with a large army and instructions to conquer "Lesser Turkestan". This brought a provoked response from Mir Wali, who assembled his armies and attacked an Afghan outpost south of Aybak, expelling its garrison and killing or wounding some 50 Afghan Jezailis in the process. Following this incident, Mahmud Khan, the ruler of Sar-I-Pul and many other rulers of lesser Turkestan came to aid of Mir Wali against Dost Mohammad Khan. In late August, Dost Mohammad sent letters to the Mir Wali, informing him that Akram Khan wished to visit Khulm. If the letter was accepted, it see that an Afghan garrison and an Afghan Wakil be sent to Khulm to oversee Mir Wali's affairs, tantamount to annexation. To further reinforce these demands, Akram Khan marched to Khulm at the head of three thousand men, six guns, and a string of fifty-five camel loads of stores. These provisions were vital especially in a battle or a siege as Balkh during this time was ongoing a large Famine. At the end of September 1849, Mir Wali gave his response to Dost Mohammad, rejecting his demands on the basis of that Akram Khan's visit was not "convenient", and had to be postponed. However, Mir Wali's reply is said to have "disgusted" Dost Mohammad. The Mir Wali's refusal to the ultimatum provided Dost Mohammad the justification he needed for war. Akram Khan's campaigns were beset by issues from the start. Some influential Barakzai Sardars were opposed to the invasion and refused to send regiments for the invasion of Balkh. The morale of the Afghan forces was also quite low, as the soldiers were reluctant to leave their own country into a foreign one, the Afghan troops payments were also delayed. When Akram Khan persuaded his men to finally march out of Bamiyan, he faced other issues. In order to finance his campaign, Akram Khan sent his troops to collect revenues and seize supplies from the semi-independent Hazara tribes around Saighan and Kahmard. The rich and fertile Ajar valley was a target in these campaigns. However, Akram Khan's tax collectors were noted to be oppressive toward the local populace, leading to many of them being put to death and rebellion spreading throughout the valley.