Syrian rebel forces finally claimed control of the capital Damascus on Sunday after a week-long conflict. However, they did not face any resistance from the government soldiers. President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country, after which Syrians entered the Presidential Palace in Damascus and looted goods from the Assad palace.
A video of this has also surfaced in which it is seen that a large number of people have entered the President’s palace and are stealing goods and clothes from there and taking them with them. A large number of women are also seen among the people. These pictures reminded us of Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
Similarly, in Sri Lanka in 2022, protesters had camped in Rashtrapati Bhavan and PM House. Similarly, when Taliban took power in Afghanistan, Taliban supporters went to President Ashraf’s building and looted it.
Also read: ‘Syria has been liberated from Assad’, army commanders announced, slogans of freedom raised at intersections amid violence in Damascus
Assad’s statues were brought down
State TV released a video saying that the Assad government has come to an end and all the prisoners have been released. People are celebrating in mosques and squares in Damascus. The Syrian opposition’s Military Operations Administration announced in a statement that until there is a change of power, the country’s government will be run by the Prime Minister.
Statues of President Bashar al-Assad are being torn down across Syria and rebel groups and people are celebrating by firing into the air.
Assad government
The Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad has been at the center of a long and devastating civil war that began in 2011. Al-Assad took power in Syria in the year 2000. He comes from a family that has ruled Syria since a 1970 coup. He is an Alawite, a branch of Shia Islam. Alawites are a minority in Syria. Bashar al-Assad initially presented himself as a modern reformist leader. But during the Arab Spring he responded to peaceful protests against his government with a brutal crackdown, sparking a nationwide uprising.
Also read: ‘Syria has been liberated from Assad’, army commanders announced, slogans of freedom raised at intersections amid violence in Damascus
What is the meaning of the victory of the rebels?
The rebels said that their first goal was to remove Bashar al-Assad from power. But it is not clear what will happen next. The international community had reluctantly accepted Assad as the leader of Syria. Now the fall of the Assad government at the hands of rebels threatens to create more uncertainty in a region already in turmoil.
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