ALEPPO – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the Arab nation on Sunday after thousands of rebel forces members stormed the capital, army officials told international media.
Assad, who became president in 2000, escaped on a plane while his location remains unknown as rebel forces claimed control of Damascus. Officials confirmed that the Syrian president’s plane took off from the capital around the same time rebels announced their victory.
Syria’s army command informed officers that his 24-year rule comes to an end. The development comes as rebels declared full control over the city of Homs after just one day of fighting.
Amid the chaos, Syrian PM Jalali reiterated peaceful transition of power, reassuring citizens that he would not flee the nation. Jalali also called for citizens to maintain stability and avoid defacing public property, although he did not address the reports of Assad’s departure from Damascus.
As the tensions remained high, rebels warned no one should enter state-controlled institutions still under the control of the former premier. A large number of Syrians gathered in Damascus and Homs, calling for freedom, while in Homs, celebrations erupted as residents cheered the army’s withdrawal, chanting anti-Assad slogans.
Assad’s statues were toppled, symbolizing the regime’s collapse as masses celebrated liberation, calling it the end of oppression at the notorious facility.
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