The Senussi, a religious sect primarily composed of Libyan tribesmen, had fought the Italians recently in Libya, which had been part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912. The Italians had succeeded in taking Libya from Ottoman Turkey during the Italo-Turkish War. After World War I broke out, the Turks with the aid of German weapons landed by submarine to instigate a Senussi revolt against British-ruled Egypt.