SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has fled the country, according to his closest ally, Russia. The dramatic move brings a sudden end to half a century of rule by Assad and his family. Opposition rebels took Syria's capital this weekend, and their controversial leader arrived in Damascus just hours after Assad vanished, greeting cheering supporters at the city's ancient mosque. For more, we are joined by NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi, who has been covering this fast-moving story. Hey, Hadeel.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Hello.
DETROW: So the Russians say Assad is in their country. Let's start there.
AL-SHALCHI: Right. So that's absolutely right. The Russian foreign ministry confirmed today that President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and left Syria. And Russian state media said Russia had granted him and his family asylum. Assad hasn't and hadn't been seen for days, definitely not since the rebels started their lightning campaign less than two weeks ago, taking city after city. What we have seen, though, is crowds of people in the streets of Damascus hugging, crying, celebrating, toppling statues of Assad and his father, Hafez, firing guns in the air in celebration, also breaking into the palaces of ousted leaders, filming themselves in hidden bunkers, going through Assad's closets and taking clothes. And then there are those images of dozens of political prisoners released from Damascus jails, many tearfully meeting family for the first time in years. And then at the Umayyad Mosque today - that's the most famous shrine in Damascus; it's said to house the tomb of John the Baptist - Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of this stunning campaign, appeared to a crowd of ecstatic supporters. Let's take a listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ABU MOHAMMED AL-GOLANI: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: His voice, you know, echoing against the walls of the mosque, Golani delivered a sermon saying that Syria had been, quote, "purified from Assad thanks to the blood of the fighters." Golani is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. And although he presents himself as a moderating force, he's still listed by the U.S. as a terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head for his past links to al-Qaida.
DETROW: So these group of rebels took over the capital city. Does that mean they are fully in charge now?
AL-SHALCHI: Well, first of all, the rebels have called for a peaceful transfer of power. They said no state institutions should be damaged, and even they escorted Assad's prime minister from his residence to an official transfer of power meeting. I should say it's too soon to know if this is all too good to be true. You know, is this a PR campaign by HTS, or are we going to really see change now that they are in charge? But there is no one group that really runs Syria right now. You know, there's several multisectarian councils that have been popping up across the country, even in the coastal region around Lattakia, which was the heartland of Assad's support. And a U.S.-backed Kurdish coalition controls much of the eastern half of the country. And then there's tensions between them and the Arab rebel groups in Damascus and in other cities.
DETROW: We saw a lot of celebrating among the vast community of Syrian refugees living in neighboring countries. Any sense in these early days whether they plan to return home?
AL-SHALCHI: I mean, according to our reporting, many are already packing up and getting ready to go home after years of exile, especially in Lebanon and in Turkey. NPR producer Joadros Allo (ph) was at the Lebanese border today and saw cars streaming across the border. He met a Syrian man called Ahmed Nidar (ph) who's been a refugee in Lebanon for seven years.
AHMED NIDAR: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: Nidar was like, I seriously thought I was going to have a stroke from the happiness I felt at the news that Assad was defeated, and we could finally go home. You know, the emotion you hear in the voices of Syrians is overwhelming. Many of them are - simply can't believe the decades of war, torture, oppression - that the Assad regime is behind them.
DETROW: That is NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi. Thanks so much.
AL-SHALCHI: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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