The news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS on December 8, citing sources from the Kremlin, said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were granted asylum for humanitarian reasons. Mr. al-Assad and the Kremlin have not officially spoken.
The developments occurred after Syrian opposition military forces took control of the capital Damascus and declared the fall of al-Assad’s government after nearly a quarter of a century.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is said to have gone to Moscow
The control of Damascus is the end point of an 11-day lightning attack campaign launched by the opposition coalition, led by Hayay Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an organization considered terrorist by many countries. Starting from Idlib province in the north, the attack by the organization that was once a branch of al-Qaeda quickly repelled Syrian government troops from a series of major cities before entering Damascus.
According to TASS sources, Russia supports a political solution to the Syrian crisis and emphasizes the restoration of dialogue mediated by the United Nations. In addition, Russian officials are also keeping in touch with representatives of the opposition military forces as the leaders of this coalition pledge to ensure security for military bases and Russian diplomatic missions in the area. Syria.
HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani said in his first speech in Damascus that the overthrow of al-Assad’s government was “a victory for the entire Islamic state”.
The National Alliance of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces announced that it is establishing a power transition agency involving all forces to build a free and democratic country.
The Alliance is committed to building strategic partnerships with all countries in the region and around the world to build a new Syria for all people, representing all ethnicities and religions.
