President Bashar al Assad left office on Sunday after his government fell following a lightening offensive. As he fled, Syrians celebrated in the streets and ransacked presidential residences.
Syria’s ousted President Bashar al Assad has arrived in Moscow, Russian state media has confirmed.
Mr Assad and members of his family arrived in the city on Sunday, a Kremlin source told the TASS news agency.
The source added: “Russia, for humanitarian reasons, has granted them asylum.”
Read more: Latest updates from Syria
Mr Assad left the Syrian capital of Damascus after his government fell following a lightning offensive by anti-regime forces across the country – bringing his 24-year rule to an end.
His whereabouts, as well as those of his wife Asma and their two children, were initially unknown.
As Mr Assad fled, footage on social media showed families gleefully ransacking presidential palaces in Damascus, with some taking selfies in the grand settings, as thousands celebrated in the streets.
People also entered a building near the Damascus palaces, which housed luxury cars thought to belong to the former president.
In videos shared online, people could be seen driving in around inside a garage, past rows of red sports cars and huge 4x4s.
Thousands of Syrians, in cars and on foot, also gathered in a main square in the Damascus chanting for freedom.
In the key city of Homs – which rebel fighters seized after just a day of fighting – thousands more filled the streets after the army withdrew, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free”, and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al Assad”.
People ride Assad statue through streets
The country’s international airport in Damascus was abandoned, and rebels said they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital, where human rights groups say thousands of Syrians have been tortured and killed by the Assad regime.
A video circulating online purported to show rebels breaking open cells and freeing dozens of female prisoners, who looked shocked and confused. At least one small child could be seen among them.
Celebratory scenes have also broken out in other countries around the world, with Syrians gathering to mark the historic occasion in cities such as Madrid, Manchester and Tripoli, in northern Lebanon.
The fall of Mr Assad’s regime marks a turning point for Syria after 13 years of civil conflict. It had faced a battle on three fronts – Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) from the north, the Southern Front, and a Kurdish group in the east.
HTS is a Sunni Islamist militant faction, once known as the Nusra Front, a former wing of al Qaeda.
It has long been designated a terrorist group by the US. In 2016, it cut its ties with al Qaeda amid an effort to appear moderate.
Syrian rebels, made up of the various opposition groups, said they were working to transition power to a new governing body with full executive powers.
“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,” the coalition said in a statement, describing events as a new birth for “great Syria”.
Credit: News.sky.com
All images except cover piare credited to News.sky.com
Leave a comment