Earlier, in March 1829, John Barker thought that the increased military activity in Cairo and Alexandria was in preparation for a military expedition to assist the Sultan in his war against Russia; FO 78/184, Barker, 10 March 1829. Dodwell, on the other hand, says that the Pasha had been asked to send troops to help subdue the rebellion of Mustafa Pasha Iskudarlɩ. When the request was dropped he "proposed to use the assembled forces to attack Abdullah Pasha of Acre"; Dodwell, Founder of Modern Egypt, p. 108.

XREF: Connects to the earlier claims about the Syrian campaign's causes being disputed (loc 248) and historians debating whether Mehmed Ali's wars sought independence or expansion (loc 199). QUESTION: The disagreement between Barker and Dodwell about whether the assembled forces targeted Russia, the Sultan's rebellion, or Acre highlights how primary sources and later historians reach different conclusions about motive. Builds on: "Official pretexts masked the true motives for the Syrian expedition."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 354