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Bashar Al-Assad was ousted on Sunday following days of fighting by the rebel groups. They have named Mohammed al-Bashir as the head of the transitional government.
Syria civil war (Reuters Image)
Syria Crisis: Days after the ouster of President Bashar Al-Assad from Syria, the rebels now in power in Damascus named Mohammed al-Bashir as the head of the transitional government.
The transitional government will be in place until March 1, according to the local media.
“The general command has tasked us with running the transitional government until March 1,” a statement attributed to Bashir was said on state television’s Telegram account, which referred to him as the “new Syrian prime minister”.
Assad, who fled to Russia on Sunday and took asylum in Moscow, led to the downfall of the five-decades-long reign of his family in Syria, and his own 24 years of rule in the country.
Celebrations broke out on the streets of Damascus after his ouster. At the same time, chaos also erupted in the city as Assad’s palace was looted by the crowd who got a glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle of the leader.
With the takeover of Damascus on December 8, the 13-year-long civil war in the country came to an end along with the culmination of more than 50 years of the Assad family’s brutal rule.
The rebel groups began fighting against the government forces in late November and captured several cities, before storming into the capital city of Damascus on Sunday. The rebellion was led by Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate.
Several countries have advocated peace and stability in Syria, including the United States, and France among others. India reacted to the recent situation in Syria and said that there is a need to work towards the preservation of unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the country.
“We are monitoring the situation in Syria in the light of ongoing developments. We underline the need for all parties to work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We advocate a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process respecting the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.