Jubilant scenes on streets of Syria as Assad’s regime falls

Rebels in control of Damascus after dictator flees to Moscow 77 _

- BEL TREW JABED AHMED

The Assad regime’s brutal half-century-long grip on Syria has come to an end, in a stunning defeat by opposition insurgents who seized control of Damascus yesterday after more than 13 years of civil war.

In extraordinary scenes, jubilant crowds took to the streets waving a revolutionary flag and shouting “freedom”, as the capital was littered with the discarded uniforms of government forces. Families of relatives left to rot for years in Bashar alAssad’s notorious prisons waited anxiously for news of loved ones as videos showed fighters freeing thousands from jails across the country.

Others gleefully ransacked the presidential palace and residence, rifling through luxury designer items belonging to the dictator, after he, along with his wife Asmaa and their two children, as well as top officials, vanished.

Russia, a close ally that has propped up the regime for years and will see this as a major blow, said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. Russian state media said last night that Assad and his family had been granted asylum and were in Moscow.

World leaders including Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the end of the Assad regime, albeit amid concerns about what comes next for the war-torn region.

Mr Assad’s sudden overthrow at the hands of a Turkish-backed revolt with roots in jihadist Sunni Islam, limits Iran’s ability to spread weapons to its allies and could cost Russia its Mediterranean naval base. It also paves the way for millions of refugees scattered for more than a decade in camps across Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to finally return home.