Rumors of Assad's plane crashing on the way to escape
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photo: Collected
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been in power for more than two decades, has fled the country in a private plane after being attacked by rebel fighters. But since 'Syrian Air Flight 9218' disappeared shortly after takeoff, many say the plane was shot down by rebels. However, no international or local media has been able to independently confirm or verify this.
The Indian media Hindustan Times reported that an Ilyushin 75 plane took off from Damascus airport as Syrian rebels were entering the capital Damascus.
'Syrian Air Flight 9218' was the last flight to take off from Damascus, according to Flight Radar24. According to FlightRadar24, the Ilyushin 75 plane that left Damascus first flew towards the Syrian coast. But then it made a U-turn and disappeared from the map a few minutes later. Al Jazeera reported that the plane was over Homs when it disappeared.
Reuters could not confirm whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was on board. However, two senior Syrian military officials told Reuters that Assad had left Damascus on a plane early Sunday local time. At the time, they said they did not know where Assad was going.
Damascus airport is now under rebel control. A rebel statement said Assad had left Syria.
The plane carrying Bashar al-Assad took off just before the rebels took control of the airport. The Hindustan Times reported, citing sources, that Assad's plane was shot down by rebel fire. However, the Hindustan Times could not independently verify the veracity of the news.
Several videos posted on social media showed a plane crashing and burning. It is claimed that it is the plane carrying Assad. However, these claims have not been independently confirmed or verified by any international or local media.
Earlier, Bashar al-Assad's family fled to Russia soon after the rebels captured large parts of northern Syria. A Kremlin source confirmed this information to Bloomberg. They said that Moscow has no plans to protect Assad. The report said that Vladimir Putin is upset with the retreat of Assad's troops.
However, America did not want to comment publicly on Syria. However, newly elected President Donald Trump said, the situation in Syria is very bad. They are not our friends. America has nothing to do with the Syrian civil war. This is not our war. Whatever is happening there let it be. We will not interfere in it.
It is worth noting that the civil war in Syria began in 2011. The United States has supported the rebels from the beginning of this war that has lasted for more than 13 years. The Assad government has been accused of using chemical weapons on civilians on several occasions. In 2013, more than 300 civilians were killed in the Ghouta attack, many of them children. More than a hundred Syrians were also killed in the 2017 attack. Multiple UN teams have claimed to have found evidence of chemical weapons being used on civilians in Syria.
