Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country and resigned after armed opposition forces took Damascus Sunday morning. “We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains,” rebel commander Abu Mohammad al-Golani said on Syria’s state TV after the successful takeover. “The future is ours.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Assad had “left office” and ordered a peaceful transition of power before leaving the country, but his and his family’s whereabouts were not disclosed.
This successful takeover by Syrian rebels is the culmination of more than 13 years of civil war, and marks the end of half a century of Assad family rule. Bashar al-Assad led that dynasty since 2000. As Syrians celebrate in the streets, opposition leaders have declared curfews. The country will continue to be run by Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali until the transition is complete. With Assad gone, Jalali now calls for free elections.
