Relying on this powerful force, and exploiting the rift between the increasingly powerless Caliph al-Mu'tamid and his brother and de facto regent al-Muwaffaq—in 882 al-Mu'tamid even tried to flee Samarra and seek refuge with Ibn Tulun—he managed to gain control over Syria and the frontier zone with the Byzantine Empire (the Thughūr), as well as parts of the Jazira up to Raqqa.
This sequence of events allowed him to exploit the divisions between Caliph al-Mu'tamid and his brother and effective ruler al-Muwaffaq—in 882 al-Mu'tamid even attempted to escape Samarra in search of refuge with Ibn Tulun—and ultimately secured control over Syria, the border area with the Byzantine Empire (the Thughūr), and parts of the Jazira up to Raqqa.