section_path: Caliphate/Battle of the Camel
section_name: Battle of the Camel
paragraph_text: Battle of the Camel
  
  Aisha publicly campaigned against Ali immediately after his accession. She was joined in Mecca by her close relatives, Talha and Zubayr, who thus broke their earlier oaths of allegiance to Ali. This opposition demanded the punishment of Uthman's assassins, and accused Ali of complicity in the assassination. They also called for the removal of Ali from office and for a Qurayshite council to appoint his successor. Their primary goal was likely the removal of Ali, rather than vengeance for Uthman, against whom the triumvirate had stirred up public opinion. The opposition failed to gain enough traction in Hejaz, and instead captured Basra in Iraq, killing many there. Ali raised an army from nearby Kufa, which formed the core of Ali's forces in the coming battles. The two armies soon camped just outside of Basra, both probably numbered around ten thousand men. After three days of failed negotiations, the two sides readied for battle.