Ousted Syrian president Assad makes first public assertion since fall of his regime | EUROtoday

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Ousted Syrian chief Bashar al-Assad has made his first feedback since his regime was defeated by rebels in a lightning fast army advance – claiming he was evacuated to Russia by Moscow’s army after the bottom he was hiding in got here underneath drone assault.

Assad claimed he had no intention of leaving the nation, however was evacuated from the Hmeimim base in Syria on the night of 8 December, after leaving Damascus that morning with opposition fighters closing in.

The remark, in an announcement that was printed on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel and dated 16 December from Moscow, was Assad’s first in public since he was toppled.

Assad mentioned within the assertion on his Facebook web page that he left Damascus in coordination with Russian allies to Moscow’s base within the coastal province of Latakia, the place he claimed he deliberate to maintain combating “against the terrorist onslaught.”

The former chief, whose household had dominated Syria with an iron fist for 50 years, mentioned that after the Russian base got here underneath assault by drones, the Russians determined to maneuver him to Moscow.

“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party,” Assad mentioned within the English model of his assertion.

It continued: “I didn’t depart the nation as a part of a plan because it was reported earlier.”