Assad Flees Syria as Rebels Seize Control of Damascus

Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria after rebels took control of the Nation’s capital, Damascus on Sunday in a stunning overthrow of the Syrian dictator.

He was overthrown by an offensive led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani,  the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group once linked to Al Qaeda that has controlled most of Idlib Province, in northwestern Syria, for years.

The overthrow marks the end of 13 years of brutal civil war in Syria which has made lots of Syrians flee their homes to neighboring Jordan and Lebanon.

For many Syrians, the fall of President Bashar al-Assad provides an opportunity, at last, to return to Syria and try to discover the fates of their loved ones who disappeared into a notorious military prison that has become a symbol of human rights abuses under his rule.

Assad has since been granted assylum by the Russian government.