Following the Mongol invasion of Khwarezm, Jalal ad-Din was forced to flee towards the Hindu Kush, where he began to muster additional troops to face the Mongols. With the arrival of over 30,000 Afghan warriors. His strength reportedly was between 30,000 and 60,000 men. Genghis Khan sent his chief justice Shikhikhutag to hunt down Jalal al-Din, but only gave the rookie general 30,000 troops.

Shikhikhutag was overconfident after the continuous Mongol successes, and he quickly found himself on the back foot against the much more numerous Khwarezmian force. The battle took place in a narrow valley, which was unsuitable for the Mongol cavalry. Jalal al-Din had mounted archers, whom he ordered to dismount and fire on the Mongols. Because of the narrow terrain, the Mongols could not use their normal tactics.

To deceive the Khwarezmians, Shikhikhutag mounted straw warriors on spare remounts, which may have spared him from a killing stroke, but he was still driven off in defeat losing over half his army.