In his first comments since he was overthrown by insurgent groups, former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad says that he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago. However, the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack. On his Facebook page, Assad said in a statement that he left Damascus on the morning of December 8, hours after insurgent groups attacked the national capital. The ousted leader said that he left the country in coordination with Russian allies to the Russian base in the coastal province of Latakia, where he planned to keep fighting.
Assad claimed that after the Russian base was attacked by drones, the Russians decided to move him on the night of December 8 to Moscow. He added, "I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier."
Russia keeps contact with Syrian new regime
Moreover, it is being reported that Russia has maintained contact touch with the new regime in Syria after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad-led government. The latest report came after the Kremlin on Wednesday clarified that Russia has maintained contact with the new authorities in Syria.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "We are monitoring most closely what is happening in Syria." "We, of course, maintain contacts with those who are currently controlling the situation in Syria", the spokesman added.
"This is necessary because our bases are located there, our diplomatic mission is located there and, of course, the issue related to ensuring the security of these facilities is extremely important and of primary significance," he added. Peskov wouldn't give details of those contacts and didn't elaborate, saying only that Russia has contacted those who are controlling the situation on the ground. He wouldn’t give the number of troops Russia has in Syria.
Seeking stability to deter the Islamic State group
Syria is riven by partisan and sectarian infighting that led in part to the rise of the Islamic State militant group in the first place. Turkey, Syria’s neighbour to the north, is deeply suspicious of Syrian and Iraqi Kurds. Turkey deems them terrorists, although some of those Kurds have proved to be key American partners in the fight to destroy IS.
The US helped broker an agreement between the Turks and one of those Kurdish groups, the Syrian Defense Forces, after Assad’s departure, although it’s unclear how long that can last.
“We have the urgency of now,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday. “The urgency of now is to ensure that the success that we’ve had in ending the territorial caliphate of ISIS ... remains a critical mission," he said, using a different acronym for the group.
(With inputs from agency)
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