Assad recounts final Syrian hours amid rebel uprising
An official statement was published on the Telegram channel belonging to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The dictator describes the final hours of his stay in Syria, claiming that while he was at the Russian military base in Hmeimim, there was a "massive drone attack" and "Moscow demanded his evacuation to Russia."
The statement was also posted on Assad's Facebook page. The document is titled "Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Departure from Syria". The text notes that the document was written in Moscow.
Assad publishes statement: How he escaped Syria
According to Assad's account, he left Damascus on the morning of December 8th, a few hours after the rebel attack on the city. In agreement with Russia, he relocated to the coastal Russian military base in Latakia province in the west of the country, whereas he emphasized – he planned to continue the fight.
However, on the same day, the base was attacked by drones, and – he claims – the Russian side decided to evacuate him to Russia during the night.
"Upon arrival at the Khmeimim air base that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen. As the field situation in the area continued to deteriorate, the Russian military base itself came under intensified attack by drone strikes. With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base's command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia. This took place a day after the fall of Damascus, following the collapse of the final military positions and the resulting paralysis of all state institutions," wrote the dictator.
Bloody regime falls: The end of the Assad clan
The ousted dictator claims that "at no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party. The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught," he added.
He emphasized that when he left Syria, its army was "on its last legs," and all government institutions had been paralyzed.
The "Financial Times" reported earlier on Monday that in the years 2018-2019, Assad sent two metric tonnes (approximately 4,409 pounds) of banknotes in 500 euro and 100 dollar denominations to Moscow, with a total estimated value of 250 million dollars. The cash shipments coincided with the reliance of Damascus authorities on Kremlin military support and the purchase of luxury real estate in Moscow by the Assad family, noted the British newspaper.
Assad's escape from Syria sealed the end of the Assad clan's rule: Bashar al-Assad ruled the country for 24 years, and before him, his father Hafiz had been in power for nearly three decades.
Source: PAP / Telegram
