Damascus: The danger had been looming for several days. Finally, the fear came true. Armed rebels took control of Syria. The country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, escaped. He has taken refuge in an unknown place. In that atmosphere, the armed opposition is proceeding to take over the country’s capital, Damascus. (Syria Crisis)
News agency Reuters quoted two top Syrian army officials as reporting on Assad’s escape. It has been said that Assad fled to an unknown place by plane. Damascus International Airport has been evacuated by the Syrian army and security forces. Assad government ministers have also resigned from all posts. The Islamist group Ghayat Tahrir al-Sham is advancing towards Damascus. (Bashar al-Assad)
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria is seen as the end of an era. But the Syrian Ministry of Defense still maintains a cautious stance. They claimed that the situation is normal and stable. However, a statement from the rebels said, “The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare Damascus free from Assad.”
Rebels said they had entered the Saydnaya military prison in northern Damascus. The prisoners have been released from there. It said, “We celebrate the release of prisoners with the people of Syria. The end of injustice and oppression in Syria, the end of an era.” Britain’s Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Damascus International Airport was abandoned. Army headquarters, camps are all empty pods. In such a situation panic spread in Damascus. After the fall of the Assad regime, some of the residents left their homes and started fleeing.
Recently, new political instability has been created in Syria. Last week, Islamist terrorists launched a surprise attack on Assad’s forces from the northwest. Since then they were occupying one area after another. Aleppo was captured by them a few days ago. The Assad government was forced to withdraw the army from there. After that, the fight started to get hold of Hamar. Russia helps Assad forces repel attack. But Assad’s forces failed to mount resistance.
In 2011, a peaceful and democratic movement against the Assad regime began. The revolt later turned into a civil war, involving the superpowers. More than 500,000 people have died in Syria so far. 1.2 lakh people have been displaced, of which 50 lakh have migrated abroad.
Assad and his family have ruled Syria for more than five decades. Assad became president in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez Assad. But the statistics of the United Nations say that the opposition has been killed indiscriminately during the Assad regime. The number is not less, about 3 lakh 50 thousand. Just as politicians from the opposition camp have been jailed, dissenters have also been jailed. They were subjected to unspeakable torture in the jail. It is alleged that poison gas has even been used on the jailed opponents.
Russia and Iran were supporting Assad in Russia until now. But parts of the country’s north and east are in the hands of Kurdish armed groups, which diplomats say the US has been supporting. The northwestern region of Syria is again in the hands of the Islamic terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. There is also a presence of the Turkish-backed rebel organization Syrian National Army. The Turkish army provided their support. Hayat made its debut in 2012 as Al-Nusra Front. At that time they expressed their loyalty to Al-Qaeda. In 2016, broke ties with Al-Qaeda and released the name Hayat.
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