Prevented by the involvement of the British navy from pressing his attack on Kuwait, Abdul Aziz bin Mutaib Al Rashid (generally known as Ibn Rashid) withdrew, journeying to Baghdad for consultations with the Turkish authorities. (Ibn Rashid had succeeded his uncle Muhammad bin Rashid as leader of the Al Rashid on his uncle's death in 1897.)
Ibn Rashid's absence from the Nejd provided Ibn Saud with an opportunity which he quickly saw and seized. With Ibn Rashid abroad, with the Al Rashid forces primarily concerned with the political and military implications of British support for Sheikh Mubarak of Kuwait, Riyadh itself, in the heartland of the Nejd, defended by a small garrison, looked temptingly vulnerable. With the blessing of Abdul Rahman (Ibn Saud's father) and Sheikh Mubarak of Kuwait, Ibn Saud set out to recapture the seat of the Al Saud.