Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is reported to have left Damascus just before the Syrian rebels took over the capital, is believed to have fled to Moscow, Russia.
On the 8th, when the Syrian dictatorship collapsed (local time), a man stood in front of the Syrian Embassy in Serbia, tearing a photo of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Photo by AP Yonhap News
On the 8th (local time), TASS and Sputnik news agencies cited Kremlin sources reporting that President al-Assad and his family are in Russia. The source said, "Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow," adding, "Russia granted them asylum for humanitarian reasons."
President al-Assad's whereabouts had been unknown since just before the rebels took control of the capital. According to a source cited by CNN, "When the Syrian rebels surrounded Damascus the day before, Assad was nowhere to be seen," and "The presidential security detail was not deployed at his usual residence. This fueled speculation that he had escaped ahead of Sunday’s (rebel takeover of the capital)."
However, the Syrian presidential office denied rumors that President al-Assad had left Damascus for another country, claiming that some foreign media were "spreading rumors and false news." After the rebels took control of the capital, they announced that President al-Assad had fled and that they were searching for him. Following this news, some rebels and civilians looted the presidential residence.
One foreign news outlet reported, based on the flight tracking site FlightRadar24, that around the time reports emerged of Damascus falling to the Syrian rebels, a plane took off from Damascus airport. It is reported that President al-Assad was on board this aircraft.
President al-Assad inherited power from his father, Hafez al-Assad, who seized power through a coup and ruled for a long period from 1971 to 2000. The authoritarian rule of the al-Assad family has lasted for a total of 53 years. In particular, President al-Assad is accused of indiscriminately massacring civilians using chemical weapons since the outbreak of the civil war. Russia, along with Iran, has supported the al-Assad regime. Russia also maintains a naval base and military airfields in Syria.
On the day the al-Assad regime was ousted, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying, "We support efforts to establish an inclusive transitional government in Syria." Along with this, Russia requested the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to hold a closed special meeting on the 9th to discuss the situation in Syria.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
