Battle of the Barges of the Basran soldiers, together with a number of civilians that had accompanied them, were killed during the fighting. The battle was a major victory for the Zanj, and it forced the Abbasid government to take a more direct role in the campaign against the rebels. The Zanj Rebellion had begun in early September 869, in the region of southern Iraq. It was led by one 'Ali ibn Muhammad, who had previously led failed attempts against the government in al-Bahrayn and Basra. 'Ali was able to quickly gather a major following, especially among the black slaves who had been employed
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb to intercept it. The Muslim contingent failed to intercept the caravan. They arrived after the caravan had already passed by Medina. Abu Sufyan had learned of the Muslims' plan from scouts he had deployed, and in response, sent a crier to Mecca to rally the Quraysh to arms against the Muslims. The Muslims ended up engaging this Meccan army, a force of around 1000 men, at the plains of Badr several days after they had failed to intercept the caravan. This conflict, the Battle of Badr, ultimately resulted in a Muslim victory. The death of most Quraysh leaders in the