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 had 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 quite a lot of sources, together with the BBC’s Russian service, as an example, have reported that al-Assad may presumably 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 acknowledged that he was unsure the place al-Assad was, however that “there may be phrase he’s in Moscow”.
“The autumn of the regime is a elementary 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 had been seen cheering in 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 protection 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 protection 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 conflict, supporting al-Assad and finishing up repeated bombing raids on opposition areas, ensuing within the deaths of civilians. Russian assist reversed the tide of the conflict in 2015, when opposition fighters had 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 fast insurgent advance that started in late November.
The occasions of Sunday got here after 13 years of war, which additionally put an finish to greater than half a century of the al-Assad household’s rule.
The Syrian conflict began as a largely unarmed rebellion in opposition to al-Assad in March 2011, which finally grew to become an all-out conflict that dragged in international powers, killed tons of of 1000’s of individuals and turned hundreds of thousands into refugees internationally.
