Moscow, MINA – Deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family on Sunday arrived in Moscow, where Russia has offered them asylum, Russian state news agencies reported.
“Assad and his family members arrived in Moscow. Based on humanitarian considerations, Russia has granted them asylum,” TASS said, citing a Kremlin source, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
“Russia has always spoken out in favor of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We urge the continuation of UN-mediated negotiations,” the source told the news agency.
“Russian officials are in contact with representatives of the Syrian armed opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on Syrian territory,” the source added.
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After a period of relative calm, clashes between Assad regime forces and anti-regime groups resumed on November 27 in the western countryside of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.
Over the course of 10 days, opposition forces launched a lightning offensive, capturing key towns and then, on Sunday, the capital, Damascus. The rapid advance, supported by defecting military units, led to the collapse of the Assad regime after 13 years of civil war. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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