Jabal al-Druze
French Captain Gabriel Normand was dispatched from al-Suwayda, the capital of Jabal al-Druze, with a column consisting of 166 Algerian and Syrian "sipahi" and Syrian Legion troops to rescue the two French airmen who had been captured at Mitin. On the evening of 21 July, Normand's column encamped outside the village of al-Kafr in Jabal al-Druze, on their way to Salkhad. At that time, emissaries of Sultan met with Normand to start negotiations regarding the release of the imprisoned Druze sheikhs, and the withdrawal of Normand's column to al-Suwayda in exchange for concessions from Sultan. Normand refused to negotiate, and decided to carry out his assignment, which was the retrieval of the pilots and the restoration of order in the Jabal al-Druze.