The following year, 1883, Buller was part of an expeditionary force to rescue General Gordon from Khartoum. The Mahdi, a religious leader, had launched a jihad (holy war) against Egyptian control of Sudan. General Gordon had been sent to Khartoum to oversee the withdrawal of Egyptian troops but had chosen to remain there and become besieged. Buller commanded a section of the relief force at the second Battle of El Teb, in which 2,000 of the Mahdi’s followers were killed, with very few British casualties. In 1884 he commanded a square at the Battle of Tamai, at which around 4,000 Mahdists and 214 British were killed. By the time Buller reached Khartoum Gordon had already been killed. During the withdrawal, Buller ordered desert wells to be filled in, denying both Mahdists and non-combatants access to water.