Al Khurmah and Turabah were now firmly part of Ibn Saud's domain. Asir to the south of the Holy City of Makkah lay open to Ibn Saud's advance.
Asir, a mountainous region running down to the Red Sea, was now loosely controlled from the town of Abha by an Amir, Hassan Al-Aidh. Hassan Al-Aidh had allied himself firmly with the Hashemites and, with the help of Husain bin Ali, the Shareef of Makkah, he had recently strengthened his grip on the territory when he had successfully repressed a bid for power by the Al-Idrisy family who had been the dominant family in the region for generations.
Soon after, some tribal leaders from Asir journeyed to Riyadh to complain of the injustices they suffered under Hassan Al-Aidh and to seek the aid of Ibn Saud. Ibn Saud agreed to use his good offices on their behalf and despatched a deputation to Hassan Al-Aidh. The deputation was not well-received, for Hassan Al-Aidh construed Ibn Saud's initiative as interference in his own internal affairs. Indeed, rather than moderating his behavior, he adopted even harsher measures against those who had complained.
This response prompted Ibn Saud to send Abdul Aziz bin Musaid with a strong contingent of warriors into Asir. Hassan Al-Aidh's army, under the command of Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Aidh, proved no match for Ibn Saud's warriors and was thoroughly routed. With a depleted and demoralized force of defenders, the town of Abha was unable to stand against Ibn Musaid and fell to Ibn Saud's men with little resistance.
Ibn Saud's authority now extended to the whole of Asir.
