LONDON — Former Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday made his first official assertion since being toppled by a insurgent offensive and fleeing the nation for Russia, declaring that he left Syria after a Russian request to take action.
“My departure from Syria was neither deliberate nor did it happen within the ultimate hours of the battles,” Assad mentioned in an announcement posted to the presidency’s official Telegram channel.
“As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Latakia in coordination with our Russian allies to supervise fight operations,” Assad mentioned.
“Upon arrival on the Khmeimim air base that morning, it grew to become clear that our forces had fully withdrawn from all battle strains and that the final military positions had fallen,” the assertion continued.
“As the sector state of affairs within the space continued to deteriorate, the Russian army base itself got here underneath intensified assault by drone strikes. With no viable technique of leaving the bottom, Moscow requested that the bottom’s command prepare a right away evacuation to Russia.”
“This passed off a day after the autumn of Damascus, following the collapse of the ultimate army positions and the ensuing paralysis of all state establishments,” Assad mentioned.
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