Meanwhile, in 1017, al-Hakim appointed Aziz al-Dawla, an Armenian "ghulām", governor of Aleppo. Aziz established friendly relations with Salih and had the latter's mother live in Aleppo to strengthen ties. There is no mention of Salih's activities during Aziz's five-year reign; according to Zakkar, this indicated that Salih "was satisfied and remained contented" throughout this period. Though Salih was not strong enough to challenge the Fatimids, the Kilab were nonetheless given control of the plains surrounding Aleppo by Aziz. By 1022, Salih had extended his rule to the Euphrates twin towns of Raqqa and al-Rafiqah. In July of that year, Aziz was assassinated, allegedly by his Turkish "ghulām", Abu'l-Najm Badr, who briefly succeeded him. This was followed by a succession of governors with short terms, the last being Thu'ban ibn Muhammad and Mawsuf al-Saqlabi as governors of the city and citadel, respectively.