Crossword Genius

In contact with foreign leader this month (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

against

'in contact with' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'foreign leader this month' is the wordplay.
'foreign leader' becomes 'aga' (historical term for a Muslim military commander).
'this month' becomes 'inst' (I've seen this before).
'aga'+'inst'='AGAINST'

(Other definitions for against that I've seen before include "In competition with" , "In disagreement with" , "Not in favour of" , "Disapproving of" , "V" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app