Russia Confirms Assad’s ‘Resignation’ As Syrian President, Says ‘He Left The Country’ – News18
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Syrian rebels declared the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad following the complete seizure of Damascus on Sunday.
An anti-government fighter tears down a portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, after jihadists and their allies entered the northern Syrian city. (IMAGE: AFP)
Bashar Al-Assad has resigned from the post of the President of Syria and left the country, Russia confirmed the development on Sunday after the rebels toppled the Assad’s long regime in a weeklong lightning offensive.
Moscow said that Assad left the position after talks with the sides involved in the conflict. He also agreed to transfer power peacefully to the rebels.
“As a result of negotiations between B Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict in the SAR, he decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moscow said that it didn’t participate in the negotiation talks. It further appealed to the opposition fighters to “renounce the use of violence and resolve all governance issues by political means.”
“The Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition. We call for respect for the opinions of all ethno-confessional forces of Syrian society, and support efforts to establish an inclusive political process,” the foreign ministry added.
Syrian opposition fighters have declared that the country has been “liberated” after they stormed the capital city of Damascus and announced that President Assad had fled the capital city to an unknown destination.
Assad Fled To Unknown Destination
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Assad left on a private plane that took off from Damascus international airport at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Saturday night, without specifying where he headed.
After that, the army and security forces pulled out of the airport, with commercial flights already suspended earlier, added the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground.
There have been speculations that Assad have been killed after it abruptly reversed course and flew in the opposite direction for several minutes before vanishing from radar near the city of Homs, Reuters reported.
Syrians Celebrate Assad’s Ouster
The people of the country took to the streets to celebrate hours after Assad fled the country. They took down the statues of the Assad family all across the country as dramatic scenes unfolded from parts of the country.
The offensive, led by a group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the Al-Nusra Front and affiliated with the terror group Al-Qaeda, along with allied factions, has resulted in the unprecedented fall of the Assad regime after five decades of iron-fisted rule in Syria.
The stunning opposition advance came after 13 years of brutal war, putting an end to the regime.
Who Is Bashar Al-Assad?
Bashar Al-Assad came to power succeeding his father Hafez Al-Assad in 2000 and ruled Syria for over two decades till an armed rebellion overthrew his regime.
Bashar Al-Assad’s father’s rule over Syria with an iron grip for nearly three decades was seen as repressive by many.
Assad’s legacy will be indelibly marked by his handling of the 2011 protests, which spiralled into a devastating civil war. The conflict claimed over half a million lives, forced six million people to become refugees, and left countless others internally displaced.
(With inputs from agencies)
- Location :
Damascus, Syria
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