Russia has granted the al-Assad household asylum on ‘humanitarian grounds’, Russian information companies report.
Syria’s ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his household have arrived in Russia after being granted asylum by Russian authorities, Russian information companies reported, citing a Kremlin supply.
Russia has granted the household asylum on “humanitarian grounds”, the Interfax, TASS and Ria Novosti information companies reported on Sunday, quoting the unnamed supply.
Al-Assad’s whereabouts have been unknown after armed opposition fighters captured Damascus within the early hours of Sunday morning, declaring that his authorities had been toppled. The advance got here lower than two weeks into the opposition’s lightning offensive.
“Proper now we see that various sources, together with the BBC’s Russian service, for example, have reported that al-Assad may probably have been evacuated by a Russian aircraft from a Russian air base in Latakia, Syria that took off a number of hours in the past with its transponders turned off,” Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova stated from Russia’s capital Moscow.
Talking on the White Home, US President Joe Biden said that he was undecided the place al-Assad was, however that “there may be phrase he’s in Moscow”.
“The autumn of the regime is a basic act of justice. It’s a second of historic alternative for the long-suffering folks of Syria to construct a greater future for his or her proud nation,” Biden additionally stated.
The Russian Overseas Ministry had stated earlier on Sunday that al-Assad had resigned and left Syria.
Crowds ransacked the deposed chief’s opulent residence after the opposition forces declared he had fled.
Residents within the capital have been seen cheering within the streets shortly after insurgent factions declared “town of Damascus free”.
In the meantime, Russian information companies additionally reported that Syrian opposition leaders have assured the security of Russian army bases and diplomatic missions inside Syria.
“Russian officers are involved with representatives of the armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have assured the security of Russian army bases and diplomatic establishments on the territory of Syria,” TASS reported, citing a Kremlin supply.
That’s regardless of Russia having been an lively participant in Syria’s struggle, supporting al-Assad and finishing up repeated bombing raids on opposition areas, ensuing within the deaths of civilians. Russian help reversed the tide of the struggle in 2015, when opposition fighters have been threatening Damascus. As a substitute, al-Assad was in a position to push the opposition to enclaves within the north of the nation, till the speedy insurgent advance that started in late November.
The occasions of Sunday got here after 13 years of struggle, which additionally put an finish to greater than half a century of the al-Assad household’s rule.
The Syrian struggle began as a largely unarmed rebellion towards al-Assad in March 2011, which finally turned an all-out struggle that dragged in overseas powers, killed a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals and turned thousands and thousands into refugees the world over.
