Assad releases statement for 1st time since Syria exit

A telegram channel affiliated with the former Syrian presidential office published a statement by the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,  in his first statement in public since he was overthrown.

The toppled President Assad said he was evacuated to Russia from the Khmeimim base in Syria on the evening of December 8 as it came under drone attacks, after leaving Damascus that morning with terrorists closing in.

“I did not abandon the country according to a plan, nor did I leave it in the last hours of the fighting, as was rumored, but remained in Damascus until Sunday morning, performing my duties. With the spread of terrorism inside Damascus, I went to Latakia in coordination with my Russian friends to pursue combat operations from there. Upon arriving at the Khmeimim base in the morning, it became clear that the troops had retreated from all lines and the last positions of the army had fallen,” the former president said.

He said that the Russian military base came under attack by terrorists.

He expressed hope that Syria would be free and independent.

MNA