Damascus, 8 December: Rebel forces in Damascus declare the capital city “free” of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad as government forces withdraw.Reports say that Assad has left Damascus by plane for an unknown destination.
Gunfire has been reported in the centre of the Syrian capital Damascus as rebels opposed to the rule of President Bashar al-Assad continue their lightning offensive across the country.Unverified footage shared on social media shows thousands of inmates have been freed from the notorious Saydnaya prison – where Assad’s opponents were tortured and executed.The rebel advance on Damascus comes after they said they had “fully liberated” the city of Homs.
Anti-Assad Syrians in diaspora celebrate fall of government
Millions of Syrians who had been forcibly displaced outside the country have taken to social media to celebrate the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s decades’ long rule over the country on 8 December.“Oh God, I cannot stop crying. I am imagining the day I go back,” Human Rights Activist Rima Flihan writes on her Facebook page.
Syria has seen the world’s largest refugee crisis, according to the UNHCR. The organisation estimates that around 6.6 million Syrians were forced to flee their homes since 2011.“How lonely is this feeling of happiness when we are all scattered [across the world]”, one user on Facebook posted.As updates keep coming in until the early hours of 8 December, many say they cannot sleep.“How does one sleep, when their nation is being liberated,” one user says.
Most have expressed their disbelief at the fast pace of events.As the opposition forces arrived in Damascus, many users posted videos of themselves celebrating, and shedding tears of joy. Many celebrated especially when news came out that opposition forces took over the notorious Saydnaya prison near Damascus, and freed tens of thousands of political detainees held there. “This is the day we all waited for,” one user writes.
Who are the rebels in syria?
With rebel forces now inside the Syrian capital Damascus, and reports that President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country, anti-government forces appear to have brought about the end of his regime less than a fortnight after their lightning offensive began.Islamist fighters took control of the northern city of Aleppo in late November before swinging south through Hama and Homs – areas previously under government control.
In southern Syria, close to the Jordanian border, local rebels have captured most of the Deraa region, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against Assad.In many instances, it is reported that the Syrian military either left their posts or defected to the opposition.
The initial attack was led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – which has a long and involved history in the Syrian conflict.HTS is designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US, Turkey and other countries.
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