ISTANBUL — Syria’s deposed President Bashar al-Assad, and his family on Sunday arrived in Moscow, where Russia offered them asylum, Anadolu Agency quoting Russia’s state news agency reported.
“Assad and his family members arrived in Moscow. Being guided by humanitarian considerations, Russia has granted asylum for them,” TASS said, citing a Kremlin source.
“Russia has always spoken in favour of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We insist that the UN-mediated talks be resumed.
“Russian officials are in touch with representatives of armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on the Syrian territory,” the source added.
After a period of relative calm, clashes between Assad regime forces and anti-regime groups reignited on Nov 27 in rural areas west of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.
Over 10 days, opposition forces launched a lightning offensive, capturing key cities and then, on Sunday, the capital, Damascus. The rapid advance, supported by defecting military units, led to the collapse of the Assad regime after 13 years of civil war.
Syrians took the streets in Damascus yesterday to celebrate Assad’s fall, waving rebel flags and pulling down statues and portraits of the deposed president. There were also reports of looting at the presidential palace.
In Kuala Lumpur, Syrians living here also gathered outside the Syrian embassy in jubilation, dancing, clapping and waving the Syrian rebel flag.
According to The Guardian, Assad’s crackdown and ensuing civil war has killed 300,000 people with another 100,000 disappeared, since 2011.
Some 12 million Syrians, estimated to be about half the country’s population, have been displaced. – December 9, 2024