Khan. Afzal Khan, as a result, sent Hakim Khan of Sheberghan to Maimana and informed Husain Khan that he should break ties with Herat if he truly wished to be protected by the Afghans. In early April 1862, Dost Mohammad's forces from Farah began to advance on Herat. With this, Husain Khan tendered his submission to Dost Mohammad Khan and allowed for troops to pass through Maimana's territory, breaking ties with Herat. With the road from Balkh to Herat open, Afzal Khan mobilized his armies to support his father's campaign. Ahmad Khan attempted to bring Maimana back into the suzerainty of Herat, however, this failed as the fall of Farah and Sabzawar in early July 1862 forced Ahmad Khan to concentrate on defending Herat from the advancing forces of Dost Mohammad Khan. Dost Mohammad reached the city on 27 July 1862 and laid siege to it. A few weeks later, Dost Mohammad Khan was further joined by 12,000 men from Afghan Turkestan who advanced through Maimana and the Bala Murghab undisturbed. As the siege continued from summer to autumn of 1862, Ahmad Khan's support was drained and civilians of the city found it easy to flee the city in the cover of darkness at night. Ahmad Khan, however, died on 6 March 1863. He had been riddled by a disease that effectively paralyzed him, bringing rumors that he was poisoned. He was succeeded by Nawaz Khan, who tried to hide his fathers death. Despite this, Nawaz Khan was unable to stop Dost Mohammad Khan from capturing the city. On 27 May 1863, Dost Mohammad Khan with the support of the Jamshidis from Bala Murghab, launched a final assault against the cities defenses, where much of the garrison was killed and many civilians killed. With the conquest of Herat, Dost Mohammad Khan's life-long dream was accomplished and he successfully re-united most of Afghanistan. However, he did not celebrate the victory for long, as on 9 June 1863, two weeks after the fall of Herat, he died at 70 years old. A matter of months prior to his death, Dost Mohammad was inflicted with illness that left him suffering from breathing problems and incapacitation that left him unconscious for long periods of time. Eventually this progressed until Dost Mohammad became extremely frail. Dost Mohammad Khan was buried close to the Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah, in Guzargah. According to Christine Noelle, Dost