Mu'awiya ibn Hudayj al-Kindi

Mu'awiya ibn Hudayj al-Kindi was a senior commander of the Arab conquests who served under Caliph Mu'awiya I. In 665 AD, he was appointed governor and general-in-chief of the army of Ifriqiya, leading an army of 10,000 to counter Byzantine fleets operating from Hadrumetum (Sousse).

He established an advance base at Djebel El Qarn near Kairouan, captured the fortress of Jalula, and raided Byzantine garrisons across the Sahel, creating the logistical springboard that enabled Uqba ibn Nafi to formally found the city of Kairouan five years later.