Syrian opposition said Sunday that the bloody-minded regime's ringleader Bashar al-Assad had fled the country, calling on citizens abroad to return to a "free Syria" and saying that Damascus was free of the "tyrant".
"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled" and "we declare the city of Damascus free", the rebel factions said on Telegram, adding that "after 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement... we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria".
"This is the moment that the displaced and the prisoners have long awaited, the moment of homecoming and the moment of freedom after decades of oppression and suffering," the opposition said.
Addressing the millions of refugees displaced by the civil war, they declared: "To the displaced worldwide, a free Syria awaits you."
