Russia has granted asylum to the al-Assad family on ‘humanitarian grounds’, Russian news agencies reported.
Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Russia after being granted asylum by Russian authorities, Russian news agencies reported, citing a Kremlin source.
Russia has granted the family asylum “on humanitarian grounds”, Interfax, TASS and Ria Novosti media said on Sunday, citing an unnamed source.
Al-Assad’s whereabouts are unknown after opposition forces seized Damascus in the early hours of Sunday, revealing that his government had been overthrown. This happened less than two weeks after the start of the opposition party’s storm.
“Right now we see that many sources, including the Russian service of the BBC, for example, have reported that al-Assad may have been taken out by a Russian plane from the Russian airport in Latakia, Syria that took off a few hours ago. since the transponders have been turned off,” said Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova from the Russian capital, Moscow.
Speaking at the White House, US President Joe Biden said he was not sure where al-Assad was, but said “there is word that he is in Moscow”.
“The fall of the regime is an important act of justice. “It is a historic opportunity for the long-suffering Syrian people to build a better future for their proud country,” said Biden.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier Sunday that al-Assad had resigned and left Syria.
Crowds of people ransacked the ousted leader’s house after opposition forces said he had fled.
Residents in the capital were seen rioting in the streets shortly after rebel groups announced “the city of Damascus is free”.
Meanwhile, Russian news agencies also reported that opposition leaders in Syria have confirmed the security of Russian military facilities and communications equipment inside Syria.
“Russian officials are in contact with representatives of the Syrian armed opposition, whose leaders have ensured the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic facilities in the Syrian territory,” TASS reported, citing a Kremlin source.
That is despite the fact that Russia has played a major role in the Syrian war, supporting al-Assad and carrying out repeated bombings of opposition areas, resulting in the deaths of civilians. Russia’s support reversed the tide of war in 2015, when opposition fighters threatened Damascus. Instead, al-Assad managed to push the opposition into the northern areas of the country, until the uprising quickly erupted in late November.
Sunday’s events came after 13 years of war, which also ended more than half a century of rule by the al-Assad family.
The war in Syria began as a massive unarmed uprising against al-Assad in March 2011, which eventually turned into an endless war that drew foreign powers, killed hundreds of thousands of people and turned millions into refugees around the world.
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